Promises Kept
by Jesscah
Summary: J/L - Some strong language. Lisa was living a semi-normal life after the Red Eye incident, but now her life is turned upside down as secrets about her past and her father's past become revealed. She has to fight for survival with a little unexpected help.
1. Why Now?

**Author's Note:** Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Oh… and I just _had_ to plug my University… sorry! If Lisa could ever take the snow, I bet she would love it there :P

So… without Further ado…

**Chapter One**

_Why Now?_

Lisa stared at the clock on the wall. The time showed a meager 3:27. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Ore Time was inching past. She was wondering how long it would be before the police allowed her to head home. She'd already identified her father's body. What more did they need or expect to come from her?

She wanted to head back to North Carolina. After the Red Eye incident, Lisa moved far from anywhere important. She moved to a small college town, named Boone, where people were humble and sweet. Her neighbor, Mr. Brown, was a perfect example of this. Two years had passed without any incidents.

_Two. Years._

But last night she got a call from a polite police officer, Officer Michaelson, informing her that she needed to come in. Joe Reisert had been discovered by neighbors to be murdered. She hopped on the first plane to Miami and went directly to the station.

"Miss Reisert?"

Lisa opened her eyes and rose from the plastic chair she had been sitting in for the past half hour. All she just wanted to go home and sleep. The thought of even going "home" made her heart sink. It wouldn't be the same without her father there.

"Yes?" she asked Officer Michaelson.

"I'm sorry for the wait. It seems that we've discovered a bit of interesting information regarding your father's death. I'm going to need to ask you a few questions before I send you on your way."

Lisa sighed and sat back down in the uncomfortable chair.

"Okay. Fine."

"Well, for starters, did you know of any possible enemies that your father might have had?"

Lisa's mind immediately flickered to the icy blue eyes from the Red Eye to Miami two years ago. He was dead… except, she could see him somehow escaping his fate. Man in his business probably had connections for just about anything.

"No."

The word passed her lips before she could stop it. It was true, to Lisa's knowledge. With Jackson "dead," there would be no enemies for her father. He was a sweet man.

"Alright. And did your father possess any kind of weapon in the household?"

"Not that I knew of. Then again, I haven't been back in this state since December."

Lisa felt her stomach drop. Her poor father. She had only visited him at Christmas time, and then she was back to North Carolina for her new job managing the Broyhill Inn near Boone's college, Appalachian State University.

"Look," she said with a sigh, rubbing her eyes, "As far as I know, my father was a peaceful guy. You can ask all of his neighbors."

"We fully intend to."

"Good. So, until you find out more information regarding his death, may I leave?"

"Of course. I just wanted to save you the hassle of having to come back in."

Lisa nodded and rose from the chair. Officer Michaelson handed her his business card as he rose to walk her to the door of his office.

"If you think of anything, or just need someone to talk to, I'll gladly lend an ear."

Lisa still couldn't bring herself to smile. In another place at another time, Officer Cameron S. Michaelson might have been charming and sweet. But all she could see him as at the moment was the bearer of bad news.

"Thank you," she managed to get out.

"As soon as I find anything else out about your father, I will call you. I'll keep you posted."

She nodded and just as she was about to leave, she stopped and turned to him.

"What…. What about the house?"

Officer Michaelson looked pained.

"You… you won't be able to stay there for a few days, Miss Reisert. We have to give our crew time to inspect the scene thoroughly so that nothing is missed. Then we have to clean the place up for you. I'll give you a call when you can return as soon as I have a date estimated, alright?"

Lisa sighed. She supposed it was finally time to return to the Lux Atlantic. She hailed a cab outside of the station.

"Lux Atlantic, please," Lisa sighed to the driver.

He nodded silently and drove off casually. She sucked back the tears and pulled her cell phone out of her carry-on bag. She dialed the number she had repeated thousands of times to customers and associates over her years of service.

"Lux Atlantic Hotels, Cynthia speaking. How may I help you?"

Lisa smiled slightly at the chipper voice on the other end of the phone.

"Cynthia? It's Lisa."

"Lisa? Hi! What's happening?"

"I…. I'm in town for some business and I need a place to stay."

"You're not staying at your dad's place?"

Lisa gagged slightly and the driver glanced at her in the rear-view mirror. She choked back her tears.

"Leese?"

"I'm here. Sorry. Something outside caught my attention. No. I won't be staying at dad's. He's not there."

Lisa didn't tell the complete truth. She sighed at the end of her sentence. She didn't want to hear Cynthia's pity in her voice or the worry. All of this was so fresh for Lisa. She needed time to process everything and settle before she broke the news to someone else aside from her mother.

"Oh. Alright. Well, hey! If you want, you can stay with me! Just come on by and pick up a key."

"No, Cynth. I couldn't put you out."

"It wouldn't be any trouble. Really. It'd save you the cost of a room."

"Oh, no, Cynthia. Maybe next time I'm in town I'll hit you up."

Cynthia was silent. Then her slightly wounded voice projected over the phone once more.

"You haven't been in town since December. And even then you only stayed at your dad's place for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I only got one phone call from you."

"I'm sorry Cynthia… I just… I need some time to think about a few things."

Cynthia brightened up at the apology and excuse that, again, wasn't entirely false.

"It's fine. I understand. I'll book you for a nice suite, alright?"

"Thank you, Cynthia. I'll see you in a few minutes. We're a block away."

"Oh wow! That close? Alright! Talk to you soon, Leese."

"Bye, Cynthia."

Lisa closed the phone and rested her head back on the leather seat. Moments later, the cab pulled to an easy stop on the curb outside of the hotel.

"We're here, miss," the driver said to the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, thank you."

She fished through her purse and found the money for the fare. The cabby shook his hand and waved the money away in protest.

"No charge," he said.

He had gorgeous light green eyes and deep brown skin.

"No charge? Why…?"

"Already been paid for, miss. Have a nice day."

"Just a second," Lisa said to his window. "Paid for by who?"

"A young gentleman."

"Officer Michaelson?"

The young police officer was the only young man that she could think of who would know about her going to the hotel. Still, how had he paid? Did he somehow have an account?

"No police officer that I know of," he said with a smirk.

Lisa nodded to him.

"Well thank you, very much," she said with a pathetic smile of her own.

He nodded and just as Lisa began to step away from the cab he called for her to return.

"Just a second! I forgot to give you this, miss."

Lisa approached the window and the driver extended his large ebony hand, a small, pale blue, envelope held easily between his pointer and middle fingers.

"What's this?" she asked, taking it slowly from his hand.

He let his hand linger out of the window for a moment before he turned to look straight ahead.

"You'd best open it in private, miss."

"Who gave this to you? Who paid for the ride?"

She knew he was lying. She felt the blanket of the lie covering her entire being. The man continued to stare straight ahead.

"I've said all I was instructed to say and cannot breathe another word on the subject. Everything is in that envelope. Have a nice day, miss. I hope everything works out."

Lisa cocked her head to the side as the cabby turned on his blinker, nodded to her, and then eased his way around the drop-off circle and out into the main road. She looked down at the envelope then held it up to the light. There seemed to be only a small slip of paper in the envelope. It made Lisa shiver.

She turned in a hurry and walked into the hotel. Cynthia was immediately flying from around the front desk and into Lisa's arms.

"Lisa!"

"Hey, Cynthia," she called with an expression she used on customers.

"I know you said you just needed some time to think, so I've already made the reservations for you. You'll be in room 3125. I'm holding the shift at the front desk until nine, so if you need anything, just call down, okay?"

Lisa hugged Cynthia tightly. Cynthia knew how to be the perfect friend. She was whatever Lisa needed whenever Lisa needed it. Lisa had to struggle to keep from breaking down right there in the lobby. She was glad beyond any feeling of joy that Cynthia had not asked her if she was sure that everything was alright. Lisa would die.


	2. Ghosts

**Author's Note:** Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Sorry this one's kinda short… let me know if it's worth continuing… :P

Feedback is welcomed! Please be polite!

**Chapter Two**

_Ghosts_

Lisa reached her room and locked the door securely behind her. She pulled her luggage bag further into the room and then set it up against the bed. She set the blue envelope down on the edge of the bed and eyed it. She was scared what it might or might not hold. Why was the world so crazy against her these days?

She sighed and plopped down on the bed next to the letter. After three minutes of staring at it and eyeing the room around her as if she was waiting for someone to appear, she picked it up. It smelled faintly of cologne where it had been pressed against male bodies. The scent was a mixture that Lisa could not pick apart or recognize. It was also in pristine shape, which amazed Lisa. Not even a single corner was bent.

She turned the envelope around and carefully peeled back the flap to open it. She reached inside and withdrew the small folded sheet of paper. It was a crisp white sheet of paper, smaller than a normal 8.5X11 inch sheet, but larger than the envelope itself, thus the folding.

Her hands were shaking as she unfolded it. Neat, straight, lettering lined the page. It was written in deep blue ink that seemed almost black. Her body stiffened as she read the words.

_Your dad was first. You'll be next, unless you come down to room 1111. I would have taken the time to call you, but that's too easily traceable. I assume you have enough sense to destroy this. Come immediately and come alone. Don't involve anyone else._

_ -R_

Lisa gasped at the signature. If this was who she thought it was… No. She found herself shaking her head at the note trembling in her hands… He was dead. There was no way that he was alive to leave her this message. There was no way she was going to do what he told her to, Jackson or not.

She pulled her cell phone from a pocket in her jeans and began to dial. Suddenly, it began to ring. Startled, she nearly dropped it, but then she pressed the call button and slowly raised it to her ear.

"I thought the instructions were clear," a female voice stated.

"Ex… excuse me?"

"Just do as you were told. No one else needs to get hurt."

The woman hung up and Lisa dropped her phone on the bed with disgust. She feared it as if it had come to life and tried to attack her. Was her room bugged? How had that woman known precisely when Lisa was dialing? She sat slowly back down on the edge of the bed. The letter still lay open on the comforter. Lisa picked it up and began shredding it as she walked towards the bathroom. She tossed the chunks into the toilet and flushed them. Her gut ached from nerves. What was she doing? What would happen next? She hated Jackson for this. Ever since he had first appeared, everything went downhill.

She decided against bringing anything with her, aside from her cell phone, because any effort was probably already detected. She might have had to pay for it later. She figured she'd determine the aspects of the situation and _then_ plot once she had acquired as much information as she could. Kind of like how she dealt with Jackson on the plane… she waited it out.

She left her room carefully. Nobody was in the hallway. Lisa let out a grateful sigh and then got on the elevator. She rode it down to the floor where 1111 was located and got out after a second's hesitation. She turned right and walked cautiously down the hallway. Nothing seemed amiss.

She found the room and knocked lightly on the door. No sound. Lisa wondered if it was some sort of cruel prank. Then the door slowly cracked open, brown flesh and deep brown eyes peering through a crack in the door. Suddenly the door snapped shut, but Lisa could hear the person fumbling with the lock on the other side. Then it swung entirely open. Lisa gasped.

"I know, I know. Come in, already, before someone sees you."

The woman, who Lisa now recognized as the sweet girl from the Red Eye, pulled her in from the hallway. She shut the door and bolted it behind her.

"Have a seat," she called over her shoulder as she wandered over to a mini fridge. "I know you have enough sense to behave, so I'll be civil. Would you like anything to drink?"

Lisa thought about it.

"Do you have any sprite?"

Maybe the sprite could help to settle her stomach… she doubted it, but it was worth a shot, right? The woman shut the fridge gently and then brought Lisa her sprite. She sat gingerly on the edge of a chair across from the small loveseat where Lisa sat.

"I know you have questions, but how about you save them until the end?"

Lisa nodded. It was hard to believe that this woman, small, pixy-like, petite, would be somehow involved in all of this. Then again, appearances were deceiving. That was already proven with Jackson.

"Good." She took a sip of her own drink, probably a Pepsi or a coke judging by the color. "I'm going to lay it out for you straight. I mean, it wouldn't have been the approach of others in my business. Some of them tend to toy around too much. So here goes. I know who killed your father. They're coming after you too. I'm to escort you out of here as if you are under police cover… as if you've been arrested for something. He won't pull a brash move in a public space."

She halted for a few seconds and looked up to ceiling. She seemed to be listening and surveying her surroundings. Then, as if nothing had happened, she turned back to Lisa and took another drink, casually.

"We're going to leave your things upstairs. There will be some clothes where we're going."

"Why are people trying to kill me?"

The woman cocked an eyebrow at Lisa, as if she was judging her for asking the question, but the look was a flicker, a twitch across her face, and then it was gone.

"That's not my place to explain."

"Then whose place is it? Because I'm in no mood to play games."

"Neither are we." She swallowed the last of her drink and rose. "Relaxation time is over. It's time to make our great escape."

"You expect me to go with you somewhere without knowing the details?"

"Exactly, but only if you enjoy living. If not, stay. No skin off my nose. I imagine your father would have been very upset at your stupidity, though."

"You don't know my father!" she shouted, finally rising. She was ready to slap this woman. "You have no _clue_ as to what he would think! Like he'd want me heading off with some woman telling me someone is coming to kill me! He'd tell me to call the cops. I'm going to do just that."

She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. The woman smirked but didn't move.

"You call the cops, and you won't see the sun rise. You come with me, and you'll at least make it to breakfast when I hand you over."

"And why should I believe you?"

The woman took a step closer until she was just inches from Lisa's face. She gently pulled Lisa's phone from her hand.

"Because," she said, pocketing the phone, "Room service is about to arrive. I didn't order anything."


	3. On The Run

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Thanks to those who have reviewed so far! It gives me hope that someone out there cares! :D

Let me know if I should bother to continue with this thing haha.

Feedback is more than welcomed!

-Jesscah

**Chapter Three**

_On The Run_

Lisa cocked her head as the woman smiled sweetly, just as she had on the plane, and then turned towards the door. This woman must have the entire hotel under surveillance. She unsheathed a knife Lisa hadn't detected on her slight form, and braced herself by the door. A knock sounded and Lisa stepped back towards the window.

"Room service," a male voice called.

"Come on in," she called back.

She reminded Lisa of a leopard preparing to pounce on its victim. The door opened slightly and Lisa pressed herself against the window. A man pushed inside with a cart and she sprung on him. The door was slammed shut as she pressed him against it, but he withdrew a gun. A shot rang out and Lisa crouched beneath the window sill, hands clamped over her ears.

The woman was seemingly unaffected. She moved quickly and silently, slashing and slamming her knife down in his flesh. He, on the other hand, called out and clawed at her. Finally he slumped down and she pulled his body aside.

"Someone will have heard that. I doubt he came alone. We have to move now."

"What about the arrest show?"

"Screw the arrest show. We'll have someone come set this up later, if we have time. For now we _have. To. Leave_."

She held her hand out for Lisa to take, but she rejected it. Instead, she simply followed to woman out into the hallway. No one was around, which made Lisa's gut sink. Half of her wanted to believe that this woman was here to help her while the other half wanted to cry out for help.

The woman led the way, knife hidden only by the angle of her arm. She wandered the hallways as if she had memorized the place. Maybe she had. Lisa wasn't sure of anything since she had left Miami for Boone.

The woman hesitated by the elevator. She pressed the button, knife drawn, and waited for the doors to open. Nobody came out. Instead, she went in and was back out before Lisa could come inside. The woman took her by the arm and dragged her to the nearby stairs. Lisa was adamant that she was not going down the eleven flights of stairs that led up to the 1100 floor.

"There is no way I'm walking down all of those stairs."

The woman rolled her eyes and opened the door.

"You really _are_ a stubborn one, aren't you? Would you prefer they get us in the elevators? They're probably watching it as we speak, waiting for us to head down. That's why I pressed the button. It's a decoy. We'll hop on the elevator down on seven and ride down."

Lisa nodded reluctantly and followed the woman down the stairs. They were hurried, but Lisa kept pace with the woman. As the woman had said, they exited the stairwell calmly onto floor seven. The woman smiled sweetly as if they were old friends. Her knife had disappeared yet again. Now they pressed the elevator button and hopped onto another empty elevator.

"How do we know someone is still following us? What if he _was_ alone?"

"Doubtful. They came to _my_ room, meaning they know I'm here to take you. They would be simpletons to not send more than one to kill me. There's ore floating around here somewhere."

They rode the elevator down to the parking deck and got off with an elderly couple that had hopped on at floor 2. Lisa and her savior nodded politely to the couple as they scurried off through the parking lot to find her car.

They had to go down to the second level of the parking deck before the woman stopped at the back of a navy 335i BMW convertible. She fumbled, but Lisa almost hadn't noticed, with the keys. She produced them, pressed the button as she seemed to hold her breath. Once the lights flashed on the BMW, she sighed audibly and bolted to the front of the car.

"Get in!" she called.

Lisa did as she was told. Behind her, two large men exited the elevator for the second floor and looked around. The spotted her just as she opened the door and climbed inside. The engine purred and the woman backed up quickly.

"Hang on tight. I'm new to this BMW. I'm a mustang kinda girl."

Lisa cocked her head, and a shot was fired behind them. A clang of the bullet as it hit the metal body of the car made Lisa squeal.

"Calm down. I think it has bullet proof windows…"

As if on cue, three more shots were fired, hit the back window, and barely made a scratch.

"What's going _on_?"

"You'll find out in the morning. For now, we drive."

They sped out of the parking garage and past men dressed in similar suits as the two men who had just fired at them.

"There's more?"

The woman simply focused on the road and weaved in and out of traffic. A large Silver SUV pulled out behind them and began following their trail through the traffic.

"You might want to buckle your seatbelt," she said as she followed her own instructions.

She adjusted the mirror and sighed, but didn't seem at all worried. She dug deep into her pocket as she continued to weave through traffic and dialed a number without looking at the keypad.

"Ossen? It's Rader. I need a huge favor. I picked up the girl, trying my damndest to get her out in one piece. Look. I have a silver Chevy Tahoe coming up on me, tailing me pretty hard. I need to get rid of it before I can bring her anywhere secure."

A shot ricocheted off of the back window with a more distinctive cling. Lisa dared a glance back and saw a visible chip in the back window.

"They keep it up and they'll blow out the back window. Yes. He'll be pissed. Look, is there anything you can do? Alright. Thanks."

She shut the phone and pocketed it again as she turned a hard left. The transition was surprisingly smooth for the BMW, but Lisa saw the SUV lumbering through the traffic like a beast. They continued to weave in and out of the traffic until Lisa saw that traffic was building up ahead of them. Red brake lights illuminated the street before them.

"I see it," Rader said, as if she was reading Lisa's mind.

"Well we can't just run into the back of them…" Lisa said, getting a grip on the door.

"We're not going to. We're going to go over them."

"Over them?"

Lisa couldn't help but sound desperate as the speed of the BMW increased and the space between their car and the bright red brake lights ahead of them was closing fast.

"There's a truck on the right side of the road. It's already picked up the cars for the lower level. We're going to drive up the ramp and over the top."

"You're insane."

"It works."

She violently turned the wheel and cut off another car. For someone who wasn't used to the BMW, she handled it well. Sure enough, a truck with an orange car carrier attached to it waited for them. Within two seconds, they were speeding up the ramp and shot off of the top and down onto the nearby sidewalk.

Rader glanced back calmly in the rear-view mirror and Lisa looked behind her. The SUV was nowhere to be seen. Then a loud crash was heard and smoke filled the air. Tips of flames appeared over the tops of cars and horns were honking wildly. Rader smirked and pulled out her phone.

"I appreciate it. Give thanks to the driver."

With that, she hung up the phone again.

"We made it, Miss Reisert. It should be pretty easy-going until we get to our destination."

"And that would be _where_?"

Lisa felt the hysteria creeping into her voice, though she tried to hold it back. Her day just kept getting worse and worse. First her father is dead. Then she gets some mysterious message and now someone tries desperately to kill her?

"Somewhere safe."

"Look. Someone just tried to kill us! I'm not even entirely sure that I can trust _you_! It seems to me that _you_, whoever _you_ are, dragged me into this!"

"I am Kim Rader. Usually I just go by my last name though."

Lisa sighed. It was like being with a less violent, less of an asshole, version of Jackson. She was glad that he was dead. The last thing she needed to add to her list of horrible circumstances was an appearance by him. All of this was quite enough.

"And you can't tell me where we're headed?"

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

Lisa wanted to just open the door and climb out. Sadly, they were going much too fast for her to do so. She felt trapped. But, if she was informed she might be able to formulate some sort of plan to escape.

"Because. It doesn't exactly have a known address. That's why."

Lisa opened her mouth slightly to comment, but decided against it. Rader had flipped on the radio. Hard rock played and the two women cringed.

"What the hell?" she asked, quickly switching it to an alternative station.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, aside from the mixture of music the station was playing. Lisa had long since braced her head against the window. The glass was warm from the outside while the interior of the car was cooler from the air that Rader had turned on. It was all Lisa could do to not fall asleep.

About an hour and a half after they dodged the SUV, Rader turned off on a dirt road. The orange setting sun glowed on Lisa's skin and hair through the window. Willows swung lazily in the breeze.

"We're here," she stated softly as she turned off the car and climbed out.

Lisa sat up in her seat and inspected the landscape before her. It was a field.

"And where's here?"

Rader shot Lisa an annoyed glance as she climbed out of the car. She followed Rader a few steps before she stopped and stood still. What if Rader was just bringing Lisa here to shoot her?

"Well don't just stand there. Come on. It's just ahead."

"My death?"

"What?"

"You've brought me here to kill me, right?"

Rader sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She took long strides and came face to face with Lisa.

"Look. I understood your skepticism back at the hotel. But after _everything_, you _still_ think I'm out to kill you?"

She suddenly withdrew her knife and held a fistful of Lisa's hair to keep her from escaping.

"I hate to show you my rough side like this, but do you honestly think that if I wanted to kill you I wouldn't have done it by now? I've had _plenty_ of chances. Hell. I have one now. But I won't."

She re-sheathed her knife and Lisa exhaled heavily.

"Now come on. It's just ahead."

She decided that her trust was somewhat deserved in the situation. Rader _had_ saved her and it was true that she had plenty of chances to kill her if she needed to. She displayed a healthy amount of skill during this whole situation.

Lisa followed her ahead through the field. Rader kneeled, pulled up what appeared to be a regular patch of weeds, and then entered in a few numbers in a metallic keypad. She stood back up and took a few steps back to where Lisa was standing. The ground vibrated slightly and then opened up.

It was nearly silent as the ground split, aside from a slight hissing noise Lisa supposed originated from hydraulics. Rader went down the dark steps and bright lights flashed on in response to her movements. She stopped midway down and turned to look at Lisa.

"Come _on_, Miss Reisert. We don't have all day. I'm here to pick up some supplies and then we have to leave. We're driving all night until we get to Knoxville tomorrow morning."

Lisa followed her down into what appeared to be an old bunker. It was stocked with food, which Rader began throwing into a canvas bag she took from a shelf.

"Go over in that metal cabinet and pull out two outfits for you so you can change now and a spare."

Lisa did as she was told and swung open the large silver cabinet. Inside were suits, for both women and men, in two colors- black and navy. With the women's outfits were simple pale blue blouses. Lisa pulled out a suit of each color in her size and two of the blouses.

"Good. Now you can just change there while I continue to fill this bag."

"Are you changing?"

She paused for a moment and then shook her head so that her bouncy curls swung back and forth softly.

"Nah. I'll be meeting up with some people tomorrow after I see to it you're in capable hands. I'll change then."

Lisa nodded slowly and Rader looked away to give Lisa privacy. Still, Lisa changed as quickly as she could. For once she didn't run her fingers along the scar on her chest. The feeling lingered and Lisa didn't need to pile _that_ memory on top of everything that this was stirring up.

"Done," she said and turned around, old clothes in hand.

"Good. So am I. You can leave those there in a pile next to the cabinet. Someone will be coming back by here to re-stock in a few days."

"Is this just some pit-stop for you guys?"

Rader smiled and ushered Lisa towards the stairs.

"You could say that, yeah."

Lisa plopped down in the seat. The car was surrounded in blackness, causing the navy to blend with the night. When Rader got in the car, she handed Lisa the bag full of food and then buckled herself in.

"Help yourself to anything in there. I know you haven't eaten in a few hours. Then you should rest. You have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow."

Lisa nodded and dug out a few packages of powdered donuts. After she ate them, she leaned her head against the glass once more and watched the white lines as they flashed past the car. The drowsiness that came from the day's excitement put Lisa to sleep in mere minutes. She only prayed that when she woke up, everything would be as it was before last night's phone call: Fine.


	4. Capable Hands?

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

I'm just a productive little bunny! I'm just trying to get as much done as I can before I get busy with a job… :P I'll be posting chapter five in a little bit too… and by a little bit I mean mere minutes. Hahaha. :D

**Chapter Four**

_Capable Hands?_

"Miss Reisert," the male voice called to her from the phone. "I have some hard news to tell you. I'm detective Michaelson from the Miami Police."

"Oh god. What is it?"

"I'm afraid that your father has been discovered murdered in his home."

Lisa nearly dropped the phone. She gripped hard to the counter as tears slipped down her face. Dead? He was _dead_?

"Miss Reisert?"

The tone of his voice had changed.

"Miss Reisert. Wake up."

Lisa inspected the phone. Suddenly the room turned scorched white and Lisa's eyes opened to reveal a blurred world before her.

"You were having a nightmare."

Lisa straightened herself in her seat and combed her fingers through her hair.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Besides. Were here."

Lisa looked out the window to see them pulling up to a small white trailer home with its back to the woods. A black mustang sat out front. Lisa glanced over to Rader who simply smiled like she was getting to see her child for the first time in a long while.

She put the BMW into park and then turned to face Lisa. She looked saddened as she reached into her pocket and produced a pair of black handcuffs. She handed them gently to Lisa.

"What are these for?" Lisa asked, not touching them

"I'm going to need you to cuff yourself. While I may have been trusting, my associate will need your full cooperation in order to keep you alive."

Lisa shook her head.

"No way. I've been cooperating."

"He has trust issues."

"Well too damn bad! You can testify as to how well I've been behaving."

Rader looked skeptically towards the house and then back to Lisa.

"Just put them on or I will have to put them on for you. I promise I will tell him that you cuffed yourself. That'll count for something."

Lisa stared down at the black metal before she finally snatched them and cuffed her hands together.

"Happy?"

"I'll be happier when this mess gets sorted out. Track me down when it's all over and leave me a message."

Lisa nodded. Rader had been kind to her. She _would_ thank her. Rader opened the door and left for a moment before she returned at Lisa's door and opened it for her. She eased Lisa out of the car by her right arm and then shut the door behind her.

"Oh he is going to be furious…"

Rader eyed the car and cringed. There were two holes in Lisa's door and the crack on the back windshield. She sighed and her shoulders slumped. Then she picked her head up and put on her own version of Lisa's happy face that she used for customers.

She brought her up the three steps and onto the small wooden screened-in porch that encompassed the front. She opened the door and knocked hard on the main front door. Silence. She knocked once more and was interrupted by the door cracking open. Lisa couldn't get a clear look at the face before the door shut again and a man's voice swore.

"Probably just woke up," Rader said with a smirk as she glanced at her watch.

"What time _is_ it?"

"Just about 7:30."

Lisa sighed and looked at the trees surrounding the place. A shiver crawled down her spine as she took it all in. Anything could happen here and nobody would know. Nobody would even find out. Lisa heard the door open once more and a body emerged. She turned and nearly fainted at the sight of him.

Rader gripped Lisa's arm hard and pulled up with a surprisingly strong force for someone as tiny as her. It was just about the only thing keeping Lisa on her feet. He was just as she remembered… only angrier.

"You _lied_," Lisa spat, trying to pull away.

"Now, hold on. I never lied. I told you I couldn't say. That was to prevent your behavior."

"How the _hell_ do you think I would react to _this_?"

Lisa blinked furiously between Jackson and Rader. She couldn't believe that he was actually alive. He was standing mere inches from her. And now? Now Rader was going to hand her over to him and leave them? Lisa's world began to swirl once again. Rader pulled up on her hard enough that Lisa took in a sharp breath of air.

"You're dead," she murmured, trying to stay coherent.

Her world was swimming around her head.

"It's good to see you, too, Leese," he said with a disgusting smirk.

Lisa spat down on his shoes and pushed hard against Rader's chest, breaking her grip for just a moment. That was all she needed. She burst through the screen door and flew down the stairs. She ran out into the woods, praying that the black suit she had chosen would allow her to have some sort of camouflage. She doubted it, but it was her only hope.

"Lisa!" Rader called. "Come back!"

She could hear the crunch of leaves flowing fast behind her and Rader's voice faded off in the distance. Jackson was coming. Sure enough, seconds later, Lisa glanced behind her to see him charging at her at full speed. He dove and took out her feet. She fell face-first into a patch of muddy leaves.

"Let go of me!" she screeched, kicking at him.

He grabbed her cuffed hands and flung them above her head with one hand and pinned her legs down with his own. She was squirming beneath him and he brought his hand up and pushed up beneath her jaw.

"Rader! Help me!" she called through his vice-like grip.

Rader appeared a second later, panting. She stood near Lisa's head. Jackson glared down at Lisa, icy hate glazing his blue eyes.

"I've got this under control," he said pointedly.

"She… she _was_ cooperating, Rippner."

Jackson turned upward to face her and laughed.

"Right. I'll believe it when I see it."

"_You_ never will. Get off of me!"

He clamped down harder, rendering Lisa unable to move her jaw beneath his strength. She whined out and still squirmed beneath him, but Jackson just smiled.

"You're in capable hands now, Miss Reisert. Send me that message when you make it or if you need my assistance. Be careful, Rippner."

Rader nodded simply and turned to leave. A clinking sounded at their side as Rader tossed the keys to Jackson. He nodded in thanks and waited until he saw the black Mustang disappear through the trees. He glared down at Lisa.

"What a funny world we live in, Leese," he said with a demented smirk.

He could tell by the way that her nostrils flared that he was raging. He could no longer feel her struggling beneath him which made him laugh. She was so easy to immobilize and so easy to irritate.

"From this point on, we play by my rules. I don't know how Rader treated you, pretty well I can guess, but I'm not here to be your friend. I'm here to keep you alive."

He slowly released his grip on her jaw just enough to give her room to speak and take a few deeper breaths.

"Got it?"

"Get off of me."

"Only if you agree to be civil."

"Never."

She struggled beneath him and he slapped her. She stilled immediately and glared up at him. She couldn't believe he had just slapped her. Some protector he would prove to be. He sighed, but held firmly onto her.

"We don't have the _time_ for all of this. Every minute, every _second_ that we spend out here fighting each other on the leaves is time that they are taking to _FIND US_. Use _logic_, Leese. Stop letting your overly-emotional female side control you."

Something in his eyes had clicked. Then it was gone in an instance. He crawled carefully off of her legs and knelt beside her, still keeping a strong hold on her handcuffs.

"And now, because you had to be difficult, you're dirty. You're not getting in my car like _that_."

Lisa growled at him and he hauled her to her feet by the cuffs alone. She cringed and scurried up to relieve her wrists of the stabbing pain. Jackson kept his hand on the chain linking hers and nearly dragged her behind him back up to the house. She wished Rader was still here. There was no telling what Jackson would do to her now.

Jackson pushed Lisa inside the trailer and locked the door behind them. She turned in a flash and sprang for him. He caught her by the arms and flung her wildly up against the door. She thrashed and tried to kick him, but he had her pinned yet again. It reminded her of the time at her dad's house… she looked around for stairs, expecting him to hurl her down them. Instead, he brought his face inches from hers. She held back the vomit that threatened to escape from her throat.

"Listen and listen carefully. You keep trying my patience like this and I won't have any choice but to cut you loose."

"Go ahead. Cut me loose."

Jackson smirked.

"Why? So you can go running to some police officer who is already against you? They have everybody looking for you. It's not on the news, but they are. And when they find you, you'll cease to have even existed."

"Why? Because I stopped your job, _Jack_? Did I manage to piss off someone other than you?"

Jackson turned serious and stretched his neck.

"Actually, they believe you to know more than you do."

He released his grip and pushed her down a small hallway.

"Bathroom is to the right. Take a shower so we can leave."

Lisa glared at him.

"How do you propose I take a shower with my hands cuffed?"

She held them up, a look of annoyance on her face. He reached into a pocket, his eyes never leaving hers, and produced a small black key. He unhooked the cuffs and then blocked Lisa's movement. Her only direction was into the bathroom.

"You have ten minutes and then I'm coming in to get you. There's nothing in there for you to use against me, like a pen, so don't waste your time looking."

Lisa narrowed her eyes at him, stepped back, and then slammed the door in his face. She smiled with her back pressed lightly against the door. He was still pouting about the pen incident. She walked forward and noticed the neat stack of clothes sitting on the sink. Had he anticipated her want for a shower…? She pulled the outfit out and held it up. It was a pair of jeans and a deep green blouse that tied in the back that matched her eyes. Everything was just in her size. She'd call him out about it later. Now she was going to enjoy the one moment of peace she'd probably have in a while.

She showered quickly. The last thing she needed was for Jackson to come bursting in on her while she was naked. She had no doubt that he would do it. He never lied… There was a knocking on the door. Actually, Lisa thought, it was more of a banging.

"Four minutes, Leese. Pick up the pace," he growled through the door.

"Fuck off. I'm getting dressed," she spat back.

"I would but that's hardly professional during a time-sensitive mission."

Lisa felt her lip curl up in disgust and she rolled her eyes. When she finally swung the door open he was leaning up against the neighboring wall.

"About damn time," he muttered, pushing off and sauntering into the living room.

"Well if you hadn't tackled me, I wouldn't have gotten muddy."

"If you wouldn't have run I wouldn't have tackled you."

"If you wouldn't have brought me into this… this _shit-storm_ I wouldn't even _be_ here!"

She felt like a child throwing a tantrum. Jackson looked over at her, his icy blue eyes stinging her flesh. He was breathing deeply as he tried to hide his rage. He needed to calm down or he would attack Lisa here and now. Ungrateful….

"Get your stuff and go out to the car. Try to run and I won't hesitate to shoot you."

She cocked her head at him as he presented a small silver glock.

"You're a terrible shot, remember?"

"Not bad enough to hit you in the leg. Now do what you're told!"

He tossed the duffle bag at her and she barely caught it. She dropped it and bolted for the door. She heard Jackson groan. His footsteps were close behind her now and she could hear his breath wheezing through the scar at the base of his neck. She nearly tripped over a branch and then a shot rang out. Lisa froze.

She cried out and jumped to the side. Lisa waited for the pain to come as she inspected her body, but by then Jackson had a hold of her and was cuffing her arms behind her back.

"I don't feel shot…"

Jackson chuckled and then swung her around, pushing her violently.

"That's because I didn't _shoot_ you. If you were shot, you would know."

He swung the door open on the car and then stood very still. Lisa watched his knuckles on the door near her right side. They turned white as he gripped the car door.

"What. The. _Hell_ did she do to my _car_?"

He was shouting and Lisa cringed. He was directly behind her. She had to hold back the laughter she wanted to let out. He was pissed, but it was hilarious. It made her smile to see him so upset and out of control.

"Well… it seems to be slightly scratched."

"_Slightly_?" his voice squeaked. "This is hundreds of dollars worth of damage and… _dear god!_"

Lisa snickered as he caught sight of the mangled front of the car where Rader had made the car do a nose-dive off of the truck ramp and onto the sidewalk…

"You think this is funny?"

He was suddenly on her, his body pressed lightly against hers as he pinned her up against the car. His hand found its way to her throat and he eased her off of the ground.

"Hilarious, actually."

He lifted higher until Lisa's eyes grew wide and she began to trash against him.

"Hilarious will be watching you pass out in a few seconds from lack of oxygen. Hilarious would be me leaving you to fend off the assassins on your own. Hilarious would be for me to kill you now and run on my own."

Lisa wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. Everything was becoming blurry and muffled. She clawed at his wrists, but he didn't let go of her. Run on his own? Was he being chased too? Was he being chased by the same people that she was? Her head hurt. She hated looking at his face… She let the world fade away from her.

"Now, that's hilarious. You being silent and cooperative. Oh, the irony…" Jackson said as he released his grip and caught Lisa before she fell.

He swung her up into his arms and eased her into the passenger seat. He buckled her in, murmuring something about "safety first, Leese" and then slammed the door. He successfully bought himself a head start with her and a few minutes of silence before she woke up. No doubt she'd be pissed. He'd be ready.


	5. Tossed Around

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

**Chapter Five**

_Tossed Around_

Lisa's head was pulsing slightly just behind her eyes. She almost moved her hand up to touch them when she remembered where she was. Her head was braced against the warm glass in the car which meant Jackson was next to her. She needed to escape. She didn't care if Rader said he was "capable hands"… he would kill her, and he came pretty close to it earlier.

"I know you're awake, Leese, so cut the act," he said sharply.

As if on cue, Lisa's eyes flashed open and she sat up in her seat. Finally her hands found her eyes. She'd need to actually speak to him if she was going to ask for aspirin.

"Jackson," she murmured in a pained voice.

"Lisa."

He continued to look straight ahead.

"My head is killing me…"

In all truth, it wasn't the worst headache she had experienced. The ones she received from him on the Red Eye were much worse. But, if she was going to escape him, she needed to have her head clear.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Don't be such an asshole, Jackson!" He glanced over at her and then his eyes were plastered back on the road, his knuckles beginning to turn white on the steering wheel. "Look. Where do you propose I'm going to run off to in a moving car? A little aspirin won't kill you."

"If you would stop trying to run and fight me at every chance, you wouldn't have a headache right now."

He switched lanes and pulled over to the side of the highway.

"Are we going to start this again?"

"No. You know how it will end."

He smirked before he opened the door and climbed out. His head popped back in, seriousness causing his eyes to turn nearly clear.

"You even _think_ about trying anything…"

"I know, I know," she moaned.

Lisa leaned her head against the glass and Jackson lingered for a few moments.

"I mean it, Leese. I won't miss this time."

"Can I just have my aspirin?"

He slammed the door and she heard the trunk open. Part of her was screaming to run. Run! Run down the shoulder! Someone had to see you. Cars were passing… He couldn't just shoot you and drive away. There are too many people watching.

Before she had a chance to act on that impulse, Jackson was swinging his door open and tossing the bottle of pills into her lap. Once he climbed inside, he handed her a bottle of water.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"You're welcome," he mocked.

Lisa glared at him as she swallowed two of the pills and placed them at her feet.

"I'm surprised to see you're still in your seat. Did you manage to find something to stab me with? I could've sworn I took all the pens out of this thing…"

He was completely serious as he started the car and merged back into the traffic.

"I wish," she murmured to herself.

Jackson heard her and slammed on the brakes, causing Lisa's head to bump into the window. She howled in pain as he lurched forward, cars behind him honking violently.

"What the hell?" she asked, rubbing the forming lump on her forehead.

"There are consequences for that attitude of yours. You'll learn eventually."

She groaned and looked out the window. The trees were flying past next to her. Her headache was slightly worse thanks to Jackson's brake-check and the trees made her feel sick. She closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths.

"Where are we heading?"

"Well, we'll be stopping somewhere trusted so we can pick up a new ride. Depending on how much you fight me and how long it takes us to get there, we might stay."

"How much longer?"

She heard Jackson snort in irritation. She peeked over at him and he was clenching and unclenching his jaw.

"What? Are you five?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's question after question and then you just _had_ to ask me how much longer? I swear… if you ask me 'are we there yet' I'm going to render you unconscious again."

Lisa smirked and turned back to the window.

"I'll take that as 'a while'."

She was surprised when he didn't hit her or brake-check her again due to the smart comment. Instead, he remained completely focused on the road as if he hadn't heard her. Lisa closed her eyes once more and began massaging her temples. Suddenly the car jerked once more and Lisa was furious.

"What the hell? I didn't _say_ anything!"

Then she saw Jackson's pale face and his icy eyes flashing to the rear-view mirror.

"What? What is it?"

"We have company."

"Can't you call someone?"

"Who the hell do you want me to call, Leese? The fucking Ghost-busters?"

Lisa scowled next to him as the large black truck rammed them from behind. She jerked forward and squeaked in surprise. Jackson was fuming.

"Why do they have to mess with my car?" he muttered to himself.

Lisa didn't even bother to laugh. Loud popping noises filled the air and finally the back window gave way to the rain of bullets from both sides of the truck.

"Fuck!" Jackson shouted, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel. "Keep your damn head down," he shouted at Lisa over the rushing wind.

She gladly did as she was told. She doubled over in the seat and clutched her ankles. There was nothing she could do in this situation. She could only hope that these guys would give up or that Jackson had some plan up his sleeve.

More bullets rang out and Jackson shouted as the car swerved. Lisa peeked up at him to see him clutching the steering wheel, desperately trying to regain control of the car. The truck rammed them and sent them sprawling off the highway and into a ditch. The collision of Jackson's already damaged BMW with the hard-packed ground flung Lisa and Jackson around like ragdolls.

Lisa cried out as the seatbelt tightened against her and the wind was whooshed from her lungs in one swift motion. Her head collided with the airbag and then the side of the car and it was lights out. She lay slumped in her seat once the car stopped moving.

Jackson was wheezing and still clutching the steering wheel around his own airbag. He turned his head slowly to inspect the car. Lisa was out cold, blood oozing from a large bump on her forehead. He wasn't too much better. He could taste blood in his mouth and his arm hurt like hell. He looked down and, as he had thought, he was shot. It was a grazing shot, thank that pissy shooter, but it was bleeding nonetheless.

More shots rang out and Jackson ducked as he gingerly unbuckled himself. The pain was already setting in. He'd been in one other accident and it had been much worse, but he'd rather have had a straight shot to the safe haven that awaited them.

He could hear footsteps approaching and he groaned as he painfully pulled out a gun of his own. He'd have to take his chances with this. He released the safety, cocked it, and pointed it at the window. He nearly shot Rader when she popped her cheerful head through the window.

"Jesus, Jackson! Show some gratefulness!"

He groaned and un-cocked his gun.

"How are you here?" he managed to rasp out.

Rader opened the door and helped him out onto the nearby grass. He hadn't realized, but his leg had taken a heavy hit when he tried to brace himself.

"She's out cold," he murmured to Rader as she disappeared into the car.

She returned with Lisa, half-dragging her, and laid her down on the grass next to Jackson.

"I've called the crew, Rippner. They don't know you're here, so we'd better get moving before they arrive."

Jackson nodded and Rader helped him stand. People were stopping and asking if they needed help, but Rader simply put on the charm until they went on their way. She buckled Jackson and Lisa in the backseat of her Mustang and sped off towards the only place Jackson had left to call "safe." He only hoped that when he got there, he could recover before the next assault.

"Why'd you come back?" Jackson repeated, his voice still holding no more strength than earlier.

Rader tossed him some gauze from the glove box and he wrapped his arm tightly with it.

"I recognized the guys in the truck from the company. I saw them stopped on the side of the road as I passed, stopped to see if they needed help, and that's when I knew it was them. They didn't know I was on your side, of course. You sped by, they followed, and I played catch-up. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer."

Jackson groaned and laid his head back on the seat. Everything hurt. He looked over at Lisa and thought about how lucky she was to be unconscious. He'd give anything to sleep and let his body heal itself.

"Thanks, Kim," he murmured.

She eyed him suspiciously in the rear-view mirror. He simply smirked a lazy smirk before he closed his eyes. She was pretty sure that he was out moments later as he head lolled lightly on the seat. She'd need to call ahead so that she could have someone help them out of the car…

"Onnie? It's Kimmy. Yeah, I'm bringing them. We'll be there in three hours… I'm going to need you to help me get them into the house. See you soon."

She hung up the cell phone with a soft smile and then pressed harder on the gas.


	6. Awakening

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Thank you** SO** much to all of you who have been reviewing :D I really appreciate it. Here's chapter six. I'm not sure if my updates will be AS speedy since I've been looking for a new job and I'm going to driving school. But! I'll be trying. It's about to get deep :P

**Chapter Six**

_Awakening_

Lisa jerked up and immediately regretted it. Her entire body ached and now her head was pounding. She braced herself back against the pillows… pillows? She opened her eyes slowly. She wasn't in the car anymore. She was lying in a Full-sized bed in a room painted in a delicate cream-color. Lisa was grateful for that. She wasn't sure if her eyes could take anything vivid.

She strained until she finally propped herself up against the pillows. She was too weak to even try to make a run for it. Voices outside her door made her freeze. It was a male and it wasn't Jackson. Lisa felt her stomach turn.

The door opened slowly and a very large black man entered. Lisa felt herself relax slightly at the sight of him. He was the cab driver from outside of the hotel! She only prayed that he was on her side.

"You're awake finally!" he shouted with a grin.

Lisa cringed at his booming voice and he quickly covered his mouth.

"Sorry Ms. Reisert… Would you like some medicine for the pain?"

She nodded gingerly. Even her neck hurt. She wondered if it would hurt to speak.

"Where am I?" she croaked.

"Oh! Forgive me. We haven't been properly introduced."

He was at her bedside in a flash and had his large hand held out expectantly. Lisa placed her tiny pale one in his and he shook it gently.

"I'm Onshesa… well. Onnie. Nobody but my mother has ever called me that. And even then it was only when I was in trouble…"

He laughed as if he was sharing stories with an old friend. He released her grip and dug a pill bottle from his back pocket.

"This is my humble abode," he said with less fervor as he tipped out two pills and handed them to Lisa. "I expected you and Jackson to arrive on-time and tearing each other's eyes out. Instead I get a call from my sister saying that I have to help haul you guys inside."

He shook his head and pointed to a glass of water that was on the bedside table. Lisa took it carefully in her shaking hands and downed the two pills. She nearly chugged the entire glass of water before she set it down. Onnie smiled at her.

"Go on back to sleep. I'll be back to check on you a little later if you want to eat or something."

Lisa nodded and relaxed back into the pillows. Much to her body's relief. Onnie left surprisingly quietly for someone of his size. Lisa couldn't believe how huge he seemed compared to when she last saw him behind the wheel of the cab. Lisa sighed and stared at the ceiling until she let sleep take her once again. She didn't care if people came to attack her here. She would be too tired to care.

Jackson could hear himself wheezing as he lay in the bed. He cursed Lisa in his mind. All of this was _her_ fault. If she had simply done as she was instructed to and _not_ stabbed him with a pen, he wouldn't have followed her back to Joe's house. He felt his anger swell inside of him. She was so stubborn. It reminded him of Joe…

"Rader," he called.

He lifted an aching arm up to his throat. His voice was unusually hoarse.

"Open your eyes and stop being so dramatic, Rippner," she said.

He could tell she was smiling. He opened his eyes and couldn't help but smile back at her.

"You're such a drama queen. Here, drink this."

She handed him a glass of water and helped him sit up on the pillows. He gulped it down and handed the glass back to her.

"How long was I out?"

"A day. Lisa woke up about an hour and half after we got here. She just woke up. I think she's sitting in the living room with Onnie."

Jackson eased himself out of the bed and limped quietly down the hallway with Rader. Onnie noticed the noise and turned while Lisa remained engulfed in some old black and white movie that was on the TV.

"Well look who decided to join the party!" he called.

Jackson watched Lisa turn slightly, seemingly looking at him from the corner of her eye, and then turn back to the TV.

"Hey Onnie," Jackson said.

The rasp was now barely noticeable, just the way he liked it.

"Oh goody. _Jack_ is alive…"

Jackson's body went rigid and both of the Rader siblings placed a hand on Jackson's sore shoulders.

"You know, if I get brain damage, you're going to wish I had only stabbed you with a pen."

She turned to face him and he felt his gut sink. Lisa had bruises across her neck, not only from the seatbelt, but from his hands. Her forehead didn't look much better. Purple discoloration peeked out from behind a small bandage on the right side of her head.

"You're not the only one they're after," he spat, jerking his arms free from Rader and Onnie.

He'd put up that mask of pure evil. He didn't care anymore. _She_ didn't care. It was better this way, with her hating him and him trying to hate her. Lisa wouldn't get further involved and if questioned, she wouldn't have to lie. He would swallow his feeble "sorry" and turn up the cruelty.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to sympathize with you because your bosses are angry at you for _failing_? No."

"It's _your_ fault that they're after me. You were supposed to be sad and weak. You were supposed to do as you were told and act just as you had been since that night in the parking lot. You don't know when to just give up!"

He could see Lisa's eyes widen and fill with unshed tears. He saw the fight leave her shoulders as she dragged herself past them and slammed the bedroom door behind her. Onnie's iron grip was once again on Jackson's arm. It made him cringe.

"Neither do you, Rippner. I cannot believe you just said that to her."

Rader simply stood next to them, shaking her head.

"I'll… I'll go check on her." She turned to Jackson, anger written in her expression. "You expect her to cooperate with you with that kind of behavior? I would've shot you, too, if I was in her position."

She turned in a flash and disappeared into the room Lisa was staying in. He thought the Raders, of all people, would understand his tactics. He was preventing Lisa from getting close and asking questions. She couldn't know the truth. Jackson knew it would unravel her world more than it already was.

"You're breaking your promise while trying to keep it, Jackson. You've got to find another way to approach this…"

Jackson nodded as Onnie released his grip. Jackson followed him into the kitchen where Onnie got them each a beer from the refrigerator.

"Maybe you should just tell her about the deal," Onnie commented as he took a seat in the barstool next to Jackson's.

"No way. How do you propose I do that? Hey, Leese. Hate to break it to you, but I have _more_ bad news. Everything you thought was true has been fabricated to protect you."

Onnie shrugged and took a large swig of his beer. Jackson did the same. Jackson wished it was that easy. He wished he could simply tell Lisa everything and have her mind not turn into jelly.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he murmured.

"You could start with an apology."

Jackson turned to see Rader, hands on her hips, glaring at him from the doorway to the kitchen.

"To her?" He laughed. "She's the one who tried to kill me…"

"You tried to kill her, too, Jackson."

"You know that was just an act, Rader."

"But Lisa doesn't, Jackson. You don't see that she's not as strong as she lets on. She's still that fragile woman from the parking lot and you're _this_ close to breaking her."

Rader held up her thumb and forefinger, a sad expression playing on her face.

"That's exactly why I can't tell her everything."

"Why don't you ask her what she can handle? _After_ you apologize."

She took a step back and gestured like a mother for him to head into the room. Jackson took a large sip of his beer and looked to Onnie for guidance. Again, he shrugged. He, too, pointed to the room.

"You gotta humble yourself to her, man."

Jackson rose and walked nearly silent down the hallway. If it wasn't for his newfound limp, he would've made it without a single sound. As he approached he could hear soft sniffles coming from inside the room. He closed his eyes and willed his temper to leave him for this heart-to-heart he was going to try. He held his breath as he knocked. The sniffling stopped.

"Come in," she called.

He could feel the weakness in her voice. He could feel the weight of everything hanging in the air. He took one more deep breath, hoping he would know what to say and how to handle her, and then he opened the door.


	7. Broken

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

A Special thanks to _I Am the Batman Dag Nab It_ and _lilac9109_ for your faithful comments! They're much appreciated!

I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter… :D

**Chapter Seven**

_Broken_

Rader smoothed back Lisa's hair and left her in peace. Lisa hated to cry in front of Jackson. She hated crying in front of _anyone_, especially him. At that thought, a new wave of sobs ripped through her and she rolled over onto her side. It was so sunny and Lisa couldn't believe that she was trapped. It was entirely his fault that she was in this position. Didn't he realize that he had destroyed her life? Oh, that's right. Jackson could care less.

A soft knock sounded on the wooden door and Lisa silenced her sniffling. She rubbed furiously at her face. That would be Onnie coming to check on her. Lisa thought he was a sweet guy, though she could see why he would be intimidating given his size. Why couldn't Jackson be like Rader and Onnie? Why did he have to be heartless?

"Come in," she called more feebly than she expected.

The door opened slowly and Lisa turned, trying her best to smile. She wouldn't let Onnie see her reduced to this. She was strong, right? Icy blue eyes connected with her green ones and her smile flashed away. She turned her back to the door once more and gazed intently out the window.

"Come to finish the job?"

"Jesus, Leese. I'm not going to _kill_ you. For the _last_ time!"

She breathed in deeply and then sighed it back out. Did she wish he would? No… But death might be easier. Death would mean seeing her father once more. Death would mean no more dealing with him and no more running. No more drama. No more… mother.

"Good. Because I wasn't going to let you."

She remained with her back facing the door but she could sense him standing mere inches inside of it. The door clicked softly.

"If you're not here to kill me, why are you bothering to speak to me?"

Jackson clenched and unclenched his jaw. He was glad Lisa was facing away from him because he wasn't sure how he would take her innocent eyes watching him as he confessed.

"I'm here to apologize." She laughed at him. It was a genuine laugh that didn't even make Jackson angry. It surprised him. "Now, look. As hard as it is to believe, I'm here on my own terms to apologize."

"I thought you never lied."

"It's on my own terms. Rader simply gave me the idea."

Lisa sighed once more and shifted uneasily on the bed. Her head was beginning to hurt her once more and she wasn't sure if it was because of the medicine wearing off or because Jackson was in the room.

"So why the sudden change of…" Lisa stopped herself before she could say "heart." Jackson didn't have one. "Mind."

"I realized that I've been going about keeping this promise all wrong."

"Ah. You mean to say that your male-driven fact-based logic actually failed you?"

He wished she didn't tempt his temper by being smart. Then again, he'd made her be that way.

"Sure."

Lisa took in the information. Had he just agreed with her? _Actually_ agreed with her?

"I'm sorry… what?"

She rolled over to face him and Jackson straightened himself. He'd still present himself as the assertive one. Her eyes were dry, but Jackson could tell that she had cried heavily from the red puffiness that surrounded them.

"Look. If I'm going to actually apologize, I'm going to need you to stop being a smart ass for a minute."

Jackson raised his eyebrows, pleading for a momentary truce. Lisa nodded unhappily and then laid back down, still facing him. She blinked expectantly at him.

"Well I'm sorry," he murmured.

Lisa rolled her eyes and rolled over in the bed.

"Well that was one hell of an apology, _Jack_."

He flew to the bedside. Lisa didn't even budge at the sound of his hurried approach. He stopped short of the bed and willed himself to stay calm. Joe would shoot Jackson again if he saw him treating Lisa like this… he had to right this wrong and then let Lisa know she really _could_ trust him.

"You didn't let me finish, _Lisa_." He knew the formal name didn't burn her as much as his shortened one did him, but it was still a smaller victory when he was about to stop the fight. "I was saying that I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for things you have no idea about and you know what? I'm sorry you still don't know what the hell is going on in your little world."

She rolled over violently and glared at him. He certainly had a way with words.

"I don't mean it as an insult. I'm being genuine. It's my fault. I've been trying so hard to keep my promise that I've been going against it."

"What promise?"

"Let me just finish apo-"

"Apology accepted," she said as she hefted herself up in the bed. "What promise?"

"Leese. I want to make sure you're ready for what I'm going to tell you."

"I've nearly been killed _numerous_ times within the last two days. I think I can handle anything you have left to throw at me."

Jackson tilted his head and took a deep breath.

"I'm not too sure about that."

"Since when did my emotions matter to you? Wasn't it you who told me to bottle up my emotions? They're bottled. Now tell me or I'll get Rader to tell me."

Jackson cringed. He knew for a fact that if Lisa asked Rader would be more than willing to fork over the information. Rader and Onnie had already somehow formed a bond with Lisa while he continued to push her away. Was it really that easy?

"You came into the picture back with the rape."

"You ass," she spat. "Get out."

"No, Lisa. I'm being serious. You said you could handle it."

She knew he didn't lie, but this all felt wrong. Something was about to be revealed that she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear. She didn't enjoy the idea of Jackson knowing about the parking lot incident. It was one thing she prided herself on hiding… barely. She felt tears stinging the back of her eyes as she stared into his blue ones. She wished he would just show some emotion.

"You need to hear it. Whether you've changed your opinion of your strength or not, you have to be told. You're already involved in the eyes of the company."

"No."

"Yes. You see, Lisa. It all started back when I was first recruited into the organization."

"I don't care."

She rolled over as quickly as her body would allow. Hot tears were already staining her flushed cheeks.

"You should. See, my mentor was this lovely older man looking to retire. He trained me and taught me everything I know."

"God, you mean to say some psycho was worse than you? _Leave,_ Jackson."

"No because we're coming to the kicker. You see, my mentor retired and everything was fine until his lovely daughter got assaulted by someone looking to send a message to him."

Lisa turned around, furious, with tears streaming down her face.

"Get out! Get out, get out, get out! You say you can't lie but I caught you in one! You're _sick_!"

She stood up when she noticed he wasn't moving.

"I told you to _leave_!"

She pushed against him, shoving him towards the door. For once Jackson wasn't angry. He didn't even attempt to fight back. She needed to let out her aggression and this was certainly a lot for her to handle.

"_Just leave_," she pleaded desperately. "I _hate_ you."

She continued to beat Jackson until she punched him in the jaw and he violently grabbed her wrists.

"You will calm down right now or so help me…"

She collapsed at his feet with him still holding her fists. There was no need to fight him any longer. He had won. He knew exactly how to break her into a million pieces just after she was trying to put herself back together.

"He loved you, Leese. More than you even know."

"I-I kn-know he loved me," she sobbed.

Jackson released his grip and sat down on his haunches before Lisa. He placed his hand beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him, though this time he was gentle. He would keep his promise. He would keep her safe, even from himself.

"Your father was torn up, Leese. He considered getting back in the business to settle this. I told him no. I owed him too much. I told him I'd retaliate and the stray dog's death would be on my hands. I found the bastard even after the organization purged him and I killed him."

She was still sobbing. He helped her rise though his body screamed for him to stop and she protested. She just wanted to give up. Couldn't he just let her give up? He helped her sit back on the bed and he brought her the tissues.

"You're a horrible person," she murmured as she took the tissues from him.

Jackson nodded solemnly.

"I know."

He got up and nearly made it to the door before she spoke.

"Where are you going?"

"You told me to leave. I'm leaving."

"But… you can't just tell me _that_ and _leave_ like nothing happened!"

"I'm not acting like nothing happened, Leese. I'm giving you time to process the information before I tell you the rest."

She slumped back into the pillows, holding a white tissue to her mouth.

"You… killed him?"

Jackson nodded.

"Th-thank you," she whispered from behind the tissue.

"You're welcome."


	8. Reviving the Fighter

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

So I'll just say I'm happy with the progress of this story. It's flying by faster than I ever anticipated and I hope you guys have been enjoying it as much as I have been. This one's slightly longer, so I hope you enjoy that, too!

**Chapter Eight**

_Reviving the Fighter_

Lisa couldn't stop crying. She had already used up the box of tissues in the first two hours and had resorted to using toilet paper to wipe her face. How? How could her father have been involved in something so terrible? He was hardly the "terrorist" type. He was _nothing_ like Jackson and yet Jackson claimed that her father taught him everything he knew…

"God," she whined out, clutching the comforter.

Her life was in shambles! Every bad moment in her life seemed to originate from this terrorist organization. Now she was fighting to survive because of… well. She wasn't actually sure who was after her. It was just one more thing she was blind to. She didn't understand what she had done to deserve all of this. _Any_ of this.

A soft knock on the door made Lisa cringe. She didn't want him to come back in. Why could he just leave her alone and let her give up?

"Go away," she called, tossing another ball of tissue into the trashcan next to the bed.

"It's Rader…"

"Come in…"

Lisa wasn't even sure if she wanted to speak to Rader or Onnie either. She was so angry. Angry at herself, angry at her father, and furious beyond compare with Jackson.

"I come bearing a peace offering of a new box of tissues," she said with a sad smile.

"Thank you."

Rader approached carefully, almost as if she were waiting for Lisa to attack. She sat down on the edge of the bed and stared out the window. The day just didn't seem as bright. A small rainstorm was coming in, the news said.

"I'm sure he wasn't as gentle as he could have been… but he's trying."

Lisa laughed.

"I bet he tried his hardest, Rader. I'm sure it has to be hard for someone without a heart or a conscience to apologize and then break terrible news to an already damaged woman."

"That's why I'm here."

"To tell me the other reasons for my ruined life?"

"No. To tell you why you're still alive, aside from the fact that you're a fighter and always have been."

"No I'm not," Lisa sighed. "I'm throwing in the towel. I have no chance anymore. I don't even _want_ a chance."

"Then your father died in vain."

Lisa cocked her head at Rader. The woman was genuine, but she seemed slightly annoyed.

"Let me guess. You knew him, too."

"Yes. I did. And I know that he'd be pretty sad to see you sitting here sobbing over all of this."

"How am I supposed to act? My father's dead and I find out he's the one who made Jackson the way he is."

Rader laughed.

"Jackson's always been that way, hon. Your father's the reason Jackson isn't out on the streets murdering people."

"Could've fooled me."

"He's no assassin."

"So I've been told."

"Neither was you father, if that's what you're thinking."

"At this point I'm trying not to think too much. I'm scared of what I might figure out."

"He did great things, Lisa. Helped the United States _not_ be overthrown by the real terrorists."

"Like you guys aren't real terrorists."

"Actually, we're not." Rader was smirking. "We're some of the good guys."

"Jackson said he does high profile assassinations and government overthrows. I hardly consider that to be something 'good' people do."

"You're right. But when those people are hurting innocents and corrupting others, sometimes people just need a mystery person to take them down."

"But you were going to kill Keefe's _family_. His _children_. I find it hard to believe that they were involved in anything."

"They weren't. They weren't supposed to be with him."

Lisa thought back to the flight and Jackson's momentary surprise when Lisa questioned him about his family. He, too, seemed slightly bothered by the idea of the children dying. And then just when he seemed nearly human for a split second, he was right back to being downright evil.

"The Keefe assignment was at tricky one. Part show, part reality. We had our people inside Keefe's security detail who were prepared to make sure he survived, as he did. This was simply his warning message."

"So then, if this was all some elaborate show, why'd you need me?"

"Your father recommended you because you had the proper connections. Everything was perfect. Nobody suspected you to fight as hard as you did and actually nearly kill Rippner."

Rader smirked and Lisa found herself smirking back. She was slightly proud at how she had handled Jackson.

"But my dad was the one who stopped him… from killing me…"

"Yeah… Jackson was enraged, from what I can tell. You were supposed to fight, but not that hard. He also didn't expect to be shot twice. He was supposed to be shot with a mock gun Joe had somewhere and play dead. He's lucky Joe didn't go for the headshot."

"He should have."

Rader shrugged.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"He threw me down the stairs! How is that acting?"

"I think he got too caught up in the fight. That's no excuse, but I think that's also why Joe shot him with the _real_ gun… Jackson got carried away."

"I'll say. He was going to kill me, Rader. You could _feel_ it."

"Your dad wouldn't have let that happen."

They sat in silence for a few moments as Lisa willed herself not to start crying once again. She wasn't sure she even possessed the ability to cry anymore. She wondered if she had any tears left to spare.

"But, you know, your dad was smart in the fact that he knew there would be eventual retaliation from Keefe… He made Jackson promise to keep you safe, even if it killed _him_."

"Well he sure has a funny way of keeping that promise! My dad was so smart. He picked a psycho to take care of me."

"I know. Jackson's gone about it _all_ wrong. He just didn't want to involve you. He wanted you to be innocent so that if it came down to it, you wouldn't need to lie about anything. He said you're a terrible liar. Your father knew that he wouldn't be able to protect you in the ways Jackson could. He's young and _very_ good at what he does. After you moved away, Joe called for a meeting with Rippner and they worked it all out. Only they knew what they discussed, but I know that once Rippner got back into my car, he was pale and shaking." She smiled and then broke out into laughter. "I imagine your dad probably threatened him within an inch of his life. Joe was retired, but he could still take Jackson, and Jackson knew it."

Lisa smiled. It was a genuine smile. She, too, could picture her dad in the living room with Jackson sitting on the couch across from him. Her dad would start out calm, but he would tell Jackson that if he _ever_ pulled a stunt like that again he'd have his head. Lisa remembered the few times when she was a teenager and had brought boys over. Their faces were filled with fright when they left the house. It always made Lisa giggle.

Like she was giggling now. Rader looked at her sideways, but laughed as well. It felt good to just release the tension. It felt good to just laugh it off as if someone wasn't coming to kill her and Jackson. It felt good to laugh when all she seemed to have been doing was crying.

"See? I know it all seems dark and pointless, but you'll make it through this."

"How? I've got no one to turn to anymore."

"You've got me. You've got Onnie. And, believe it or not, you have Jackson."

Lisa huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right."

"No, seriously. You think Jackson made that promise lightly? Heck. I wouldn't put it past Joe to bring down some serious fury on Jackson from beyond the grave. That man was determined and he loved you to death."

Lisa smiled down at her hands. He loved her beyond death. He made sure there were a few strong people she could trust.

"So how come your organization isn't helping to protect me and how come they're after Jackson?"

"Well. Keefe's after Jackson for an obvious reason. Jackson was the guy who tried to kill him and who, given the chance, _will_ kill him. Keefe's started a war he can't finish. He should've stepped down and stopped mingling with the criminals he claimed he was putting behind bars. As for our people not helping you… that's because they think you knew more than you did. They see you as a sort of traitor for going to the cops… They're after Jackson because they believe he killed your father."

"Well can't he just tell them that he never would have?"

"We wish it was that simple. Keefe has someone on the inside that framed Jackson pretty well. That's why you two are heading to DC tomorrow to get the information and kill Keefe, to prove you alliance."

Lisa was shaking her head.

"No way. I've got _two_ teams of assassins hunting me down and you want me to just drive up to DC, saunter into Keefe's office, and _kill_ him? I… I'm no killer."

"Jackson would do it, Lisa. You being there would be enough."

"No. There's no way."

"Where there's a will, there's a way. Do you want to be on the run for the rest of your short-lived life?"

Lisa gasped at Rader's bluntness. She was right, though. If Lisa didn't do this, there would be no stopping Keefe or whoever else from just killing her. She couldn't rely on Jackson and Rader forever. Besides… she wouldn't be doing the killing. Keefe had always seemed like a nice man… but if he had killed her father, Lisa didn't care. She could turn the other cheek in this situation.

"I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"This would be your best option, Lisa."

Lisa smiled weakly at Rader who patted her crossed knees in response.

"I couldn't convince you to come with us, could I?"

Rader shook her head sadly. She rose and walked over to the door.

"No ma'am. I'm supposed to be on assignment. If the higher ups caught wind of me and Onnie helping you guys out like this we'd be dead where we stand just as much as you."

Lisa nodded. The thought of a long car drive to Washington, DC with only Jackson Rippner as company was not appealing in the slightest. Trying to protect her, or not, he still tried to kill her once upon a time and he was still arrogant. She'd still be a pain to him, but she'd be cooperative. She owed that much to her father, not to Jackson.

"Are you going to come on out and have something to eat, now?"

"Oh… sure."

Rader rolled her eyes with a smile and held the door open, waiting for Lisa to come over.

"Thank you, Rader."

"No problem."

"So what is there to eat?" Lisa asked as they made their way to kitchen.

"No clue. Some kind of seafood Jackson fixed up."

Lisa felt odd to hear that. She felt surprised to find out that Jackson cooked. She had never really considered that fact before. She wondered how well he cooked, but her nostrils seemed to give her the answer. The kitchen smelled divine and Lisa was pretty sure that it wasn't simply because she was starving. Her headache even seemed to be lessened. Something about Rader, as deadly as she could be, comforted Lisa.

"Ah, we get the company of some lovely ladies for dinner!" Onnie called out from the table with a wide grin.

Lisa felt her cheeks turn scarlet. Jackson turned slightly from the stove to inspect the women as they entered the kitchen. He bowed his head quickly and returned to the stove. Lisa wanted to call him out on his behavior and tell him to stop making things more awkward, but she'd play nice. Again, she'd let her father's wishes be carried out. It was the least she could do with him gone.

"What are you fixing again, Rippner?" Onnie asked.

"Salmon and crab cakes, Onnie."

"Hear that? Salmon and crab cakes, ladies. We're living in luxury and Rippner's our own personal chef."

He grinned but was caught in the face with a wet dish towel flung from Jackson. He scowled as he peeled it off of his face and tossed it back into the sink.

"Such manners," Onnie muttered.

He winked at Lisa and Rader as they took their seats next to each other at the table. Lisa had to keep herself from giggling. How was it that these two people in the same profession as Jackson could make her feel so free and so safe while Jackson himself made her feel lost and alone?

"You're one to talk when you eat like a five year old," Rader snipped.

Jackson was suddenly next to them, pans in hand. He was silent. Even Rader hadn't noticed his approach. He set the food down on the square oven mitts on the table and then took his seat across from Rader.

"It looks delicious, Rippner," Rader commented as she dug into the crab cakes and then into the mixed vegetables Jackson had also prepared.

"Thank you, Rader."

The men let the two women get their plates first. Lisa simply stared down at the food in awe. It looked delicious. The salmon was moist as she pulled it apart with her fork and the crab cakes were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

"Something wrong with the food? I know you eat salmon."

Lisa scowled. Of course he knew she ate salmon. He stalked her. Plus, her father had probably told him about how much she adored it.

"Nothing at all. I was just wondering if it was poisoned."

Jackson opened his mouth to say something when Lisa smiled.

"I'm kidding," she quipped as she placed a bite of Salmon in her mouth.

Jackson narrowed his crystal eyes at her as he mirrored her movement.

"Oh don't be a baby, Rippner. At least she's not leaping across the table to tear your gorgeous eyes out," Rader said with a motherly tone.

Onnie snickered and Lisa barely contained her own giggle. She was very much like the older sister in the situation. She knew just what to say to make him behave and Lisa was surprised when Jackson didn't murder her for what she did to his precious car.

For the most part they ate in silence. Onnie kept up light conversation with his sister who he apparently hadn't seen in two weeks. Lisa offered to help the siblings with the dishes, but Onnie declined.

"You need to rest up so that you can be sharp tomorrow in DC. Keefe will be close and so will his people. They'll probably be everywhere."

Lisa nodded but it was too early for her to sleep. She had been sleeping a lot lately. Sleeping and crying. Instead, she browsed through the many books that lined a wooden shelf in Onnie's living room. She nearly picked up a small self-help book, but let her fingers graze over it instead. In the end, Lisa couldn't find anything that she liked, so she turned to head back to the couch.

She nearly ran right into Jackson. He was silent, yet again, and she wondered how he did it. They simply stared at each other for a moment. His eyes seemed even paler in the fading light. Lisa reached over and flicked on the lamp in the corner casting soft shadows against his high cheekbones and bruised lip. She wondered if her bruises looked horrible in the light.

"Sorry," he murmured, commenting on how he had startled her.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Sneak around so silently?"

He shrugged and then left her to sit on the couch. She found herself following him, but taking a seat on the other end, a whole seat cushion between them.

"Practice. If you listened more carefully you could probably hear my limp."

He hadn't meant it as an insult and Lisa saw that. He was simply stating.

"Can I… try?"

"To sneak up on me or to listen?"

"Both."

"Sure."

He closed those delicate blue eyes and Lisa felt completely in control. If she were so compelled, she could attack him right now. She could possibly kill him. Instead, she rose slowly from the couch and walked towards the kitchen. Rader looked at her questioningly, but then returned her attention to the dishes.

Lisa edged as quietly as she could towards the couch. She thought about her approach. He probably expected her to come from behind, but she'd get him from the front. She made her way around the other end table and found herself staring at him. He was completely relaxed and Lisa wondered if he had fallen asleep. She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder when his right hand shot up and clamped around her wrist. She hollered out.

"What are you doing?" Rader hollered, suddenly in the living room.

"N-nothing," Lisa stammered. "I was trying to sneak up on him."

"She nearly got me, too, but her breathing was too erratic."

Jackson eyed her and slowly released his grip on her wrist. Rader cut him a look as if to say "behave" before she wandered back into the kitchen.

"My turn."

He rose smoothly from the couch and Lisa sat down. She followed his example and closed her eyes.

"Listen to everything around you. I could tell you were by the kitchen by Rader's stop in dish-washing. I knew she was paying attention to you. You have to do the same thing."

And then he disappeared from her senses. She couldn't hear him, from what she could tell. Then the sink cut off and she could hear the slightest dragging noise. It was so soft Lisa almost considered it to be a part of her breathing. Then she could smell him. The spicy smell of his aftershave. It was slight from being applied a day or two ago, but it was still there. She kicked out her leg and a large thud sounded before her.

"I am so sorry!" she cried, her eyes flashing open.

Instead of Jackson, it was Onnie she had tripped. A hand snaked its way around her neck and lightly applied pressure. Lisa craned her neck back to see Jackson smirking down at her.

"I told you to listen and be aware. Not bad for a beginner."

"I knew you were close," she said, finally shaking his hand off of her.

"How?"

"I could smell you."

He smirked yet again and took his place back on the couch. Onnie remained on the floor and Jackson leaned over the couch to inspect him.

"You alright down there Onshesa?"

Onnie scowled and then hoisted himself up.

"Yeah. Fine. I'm heading to my room… I'm going to call a few people and see if I can't secure you a place to stay tomorrow night."

Jackson nodded politely and Onnie was gone. For someone as large as he was, Lisa was surprised at how silent he had been. Now she and Jackson were alone, though Lisa had no idea where Rader had disappeared to. She looked everywhere but at him until he spoke and drew her eyes to his.

"I really am sorry, Leese," he murmured.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. How was she supposed to respond? She certainly hadn't forgiven him for treating her the way he did, but she was grateful for his sacrifice and she was more than grateful that he had killed her rapist. In a way it disgusted her that she was so thankful a life had been taken. Then again, that man had taken her own life from her back in the parking lot. Jackson had renewed her fight. He had given her life back and Lisa hadn't realized it until now.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"For… I guess everything. Even trying to kill me, as twisted as that sounds."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"That sick man took away my life. He made me feel hopeless and afraid. He made me hide. You made me fight. I fought you until I was sure I was going to die. I _still_ fight you," she said with a smirk. "And thank you… for killing him. It's a relief, in a way, to know that he will never be back to hurt me or hurt someone else like he did me."

Jackson nodded.

"He hurt you in the worst possible way."

"You hurt me, too," she muttered, looking away from him.

"I know. And I'm sorry. Genuinely sorry. From the icy heart you think I have, I'm sorry. Your dad nearly killed me when he saw how I hurt you. It was like betraying him."

"Was he… was he a bad person?"

"No! He was a very decent and honorable man. I'm proud to have known him."

Lisa gave him a weak smile. She could feel the tears rising up yet again. She missed her father so much. She never knew how much she would miss his annoying "are you sure" questions until they were gone. And then Jackson was looking at her as if to ask "Are you okay?" She nodded.

"I'm fine."

He pursed his lips together.

"No. Go ahead and ask me… please, ask me."

He hesitated for a moment. Jackson wasn't sure if this was some trick or something that would send her off sobbing. To reject her would probably make her angry and he needed her to cooperate if they were both going to survive.

"Are you sure?"

Lisa smiled at him.

"I think that maybe for the first time in five years I'm actually 100% positive that I'm going to be fine."

"You're not worried about DC?"

Lisa shrugged and rose off of the couch. Maybe she would head off to bed.

"Of course I am. But, it doesn't mean I'm not beginning to accept life and whatever direction it may take me."

Lisa turned without another word and left Jackson alone in the living room. He found himself smiling a full smile, something he hadn't done in a very long time. It amazed him how much like her father Lisa was. She was enduring and strong; stronger than she could comprehend. Sure, she was torn up and confused, but her fight was back and she'd face anything thrown at her head on. Jackson would be at her side, promise or not.


	9. Safe

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

All I have to say for this one is "ou lala" hahaha. Hope you guys enjoy it. More coming later!

**Chapter Nine**

_Safe_

Lisa couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Here being some old warehouse. She could feel that she had been there once before, but she had no idea why she was there now. She looked around and her eyes became glued to two men fighting. Lisa could tell the smaller one was Jackson. He didn't have any weight behind him, but Jackson was all skill.

A silver knife flashed through the darkness and Lisa gasped as Jackson nearly sliced open the man before her.

"Run!" he shouted.

Her feet wouldn't move. Jackson shouted at her to run once again and she did. Right towards them. She could see his eyes wide with panic as she approached. In that moment, Jackson lost his concentration and the larger man shot him. Lisa watched as blood flowed easily from his neck and she screamed.

Jackson fell limply, blood pooling next to his head. She continued to scream, even as the man appeared. It was Keefe. He held the gun up to Lisa's face with a devilish grin she hadn't thought was possible on him.

"Say hey to your dad for me."

He pulled the trigger and Lisa's eyes shot open. She was screaming. The bedroom door busted open and she screamed once more, leaping from the bed, ready to run just as Jackson had told her. It was Jackson, knife in hand, who appeared in the moonlight, scanning the room for danger.

"What's wrong? What happened?" he breathed.

Lisa inspected herself and inspected him. He lowered his knife and approached her.

"Are you alright?"

"I… yes. I am now."

"Nightmare?" he asked with a smirk.

Lisa felt herself blush and she was grateful for the moonlight's cover.

"They're irrational. Nothing to be afraid of," he murmured.

Lisa eyed his knife and he quickly put it away. She let her eyes find his. They looked white in the moonlight. Normally she would've found that unnerving or eerie, but now she was glad that he was here.

"It's not irrational. It's completely possible."

He cocked a dark eyebrow at her and folded his arms across his chest.

"That's a toughie. I-"

"What's happening? I heard screaming?" Onnie called as he nearly leapt into the room.

Rader was right behind him and Jackson smiled.

"If someone was getting murdered, you guys would've been a little late."

"Well I couldn't just show up in my underwear like you, man," Onnie stated as he adjusted his robe.

Lisa giggled and then she realized that Jackson was, in fact, in simple boxers before her.

"Was he… hurting you, Lisa?"

Lisa laughed.

"No. He was making sure I was alright. I had a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you guys."

Onnie yawned and stumbled back to his room. She wasn't sure he would've been much help anyway in his state. Rader eyed the situation once more before she followed his example and left the room, shutting the door lightly behind her.

Jackson turned back to her and then gestured towards the bed.

"You should go back to sleep. Nothing's going to happen while we're here."

"It's not here I dreamed about."

"DC?"

"Yeah. Keefe… Keefe shot you and then was just about to shoot me when I woke up."

Jackson's face was emotionless.

"Irrational," he said slowly.

"Now I know why you never lie."

"Why's that?"

"You're just as terrible at it as I am."

He swallowed hard and adjusted his neck. He looked out the window and then turned towards the door.

"Go back to sleep, Leese. It'll all be fine."

A rumbling sounded and Lisa froze.

"What's that?"

"That would be Onnie snoring, Leese," he said with a smirk as he shook his head.

"Can I ask a favor?"

Jackson shrugged and took his hand off of the door handle.

"This is not at all like me… not _at all_. Keep that in mind."

"Out with it, Leese. It's late."

"Would you stay with me until I fell asleep?"

His face was a mixture of emotions that she couldn't quite read.

"Why?"

"Well. I'd just… I guess I'd just feel safer."

"I told you we're perfectly safe here."

She nodded and silently put herself beneath the covers. Jackson sighed and wandered around to the other side of the bed. She was curled up in a ball on her half of the bed.

"That dream shook you up that bad?"

"Yes. I wouldn't ask otherwise."

It was the truth. She would have never dreamed of being here with him now. This was a last resort. But watching him die and then having Keefe point the gun at her? It seemed all too real. Tomorrow it might even come true. She knew she should feel safe in Onnie's house with these three trained operatives, but she wouldn't be at ease unless he was here with her protecting her while she slept.

"Okay."

She heard him take his knife out of the back of his boxers and lay it on the nightstand on the other side of the bed. The bed slumped over beneath his weight and Lisa felt him pull the covers back and ease underneath.

"Thank you."

"It's fine," he murmured. "You'll be fine. Just go to sleep."

Lisa did fall asleep mere seconds later. It was the safest she had felt in a while. The irony sent pangs through her. Safe? With a man who tried to kill you? But she couldn't deny it. Her father had seen how protective Jackson had been and Lisa trusted her father's instincts.

* * *

The sun fell gently on Jackson's face, warming it up. He wasn't cold. He was actually feeling very warm. He opened his eyes and immediately remembered he had fallen asleep in Lisa's bed. He hadn't meant to, but he was exhausted and he had told her he would stay.

Stay he did, alright. He looked down and his body went rigid. Lisa was cuddled against his chest, her auburn curls lying wildly around her face and his arm. He cursed himself as he finally released his breath. If he moved he'd wake her up. If he stayed like this, she might wake up and become embarrassed or, worse yet, angry.

He didn't have time to make that decision though because he felt her body tense up and her arm moved slightly. Then those big green eyes opened and looked right up at him. He never saw her move so fast in his entire time watching her! She was off of him and over on her side of the bed before he could even explain. He cursed himself again.

"I'm _so_ sorry."

The words fell quickly from her mouth as she wrapped herself in a ball in the blankets. He could see her cheek over her shoulder and it was a deep red.

"It's fine."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Just a minute. I was going to move and then…"

"I'm _sorry_, Jackson…"

He chuckled and Lisa glanced up at him over her shoulder.

"For what? Not being in control of what you do in your sleep? Don't worry about it, Leese."

He was relieved that she wasn't angry. She was actually kind of cute and innocent when she was blushing and embarrassed. He pushed himself up on the pillows, preparing to leave, when the thought weighed on him. He had just considered her cute. Lisa Reisert.

"Well, in control or not, I'm sorry. It was inappropriate."

He nodded though she couldn't see him. Inappropriate was right. Joe would kill him if he knew Jackson was in bed, nearly naked, with his only daughter. His baby girl. Jackson hefted himself out of the bed and grabbed his knife. Joe was probably sending the worst karma after him from up above.

As fate would have it, Jackson opened the door to the room and came nose-to-nose with a silencer on the end of some gun. Lisa screeched, just as she had last night, which luckily distracted the shooter for just a moment. He shot, but Jackson had moved to the side just enough for him to swing his knife upwards and dig into the man's flesh beneath his ribs.

The man groaned out and collapsed. Jackson didn't recognize him from the company, meaning this had been one of Keefe's men. Jackson flung back around to face Lisa, who was now staring wide-eyed at the pillow where her head had been moments ago. When the shooter had fired and missed Jackson, the bullet had nearly hit Lisa.

"Are you alright?"

"I…

"Are you alright?" he asked with a more urgent tone.

"Yes."

He kept his eyes on the door while he wandered over to a small armoire that was by the window. He opened it and pulled out a gun.

"Take this. Go into the bathroom and lock yourself in. Do not open the door unless you hear me say so, alright?"

"But I don't know how to shoot?"

He unhooked the safety and handed it to her, pointing it at the ground.

"Do just like you did at your house Leese. Just don't aim for me."

He smirked and helped her to her feet. She was shaking wildly.

"You'll be fine. I'll be back. Go."

She disappeared quickly into the bathroom and he heard the door click shut and lock behind her. He turned his attention to the man lying on the floor. He was beyond dead. Jackson picked up his gun and wandered next door to Onnie's room. The door was open and he was gone. A crash sounded from the living room and Jackson took off running.

Onnie had thrown one of the men onto the coffee table while Rader squared off with the other. Jackson raised the gun and shot the man across from Rader. He surprised himself with his aim.

"I thought you were a bad shot," Rader said with a smirk.

"I'm good enough."

The man who had landed through the table was unconscious, but still alive. Jackson tossed the gun to Rader.

"Should tie him up. Call the team and tell them they thought I was here. Self-defense."

Onnie nodded and disappeared for a phone.

"Is Lisa alright?"

"I'm just about to go check."

Jackson edged back down the hallway, still on guard. He was waiting for someone else to pop out. How the men had gotten past Onnie's advanced security system amazed Jackson. He eased into the bedroom and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Leese. It's me. You can come out."

The door was edged open, the shaky gun being slightly produced and then he saw her form. She was looking around, her green eyes darting wildly around the room.

"You can give me the gun now, Leese," he cooed.

He slowly held his hand out towards her. She eyed his hand carefully and then slowly placed the gun in his palm. He uncocked it and put the safety back in place. Once he put it in the waistband of his boxers, Lisa began to cry.

"I knew it."

"No. I told you that you were safe here. See? Safe and sound."

Lisa eyed the man in the hallway just outside the door.

"Don't look at him Leese."

She looked back up into his icy blue eyes. For once they weren't cold. They showed slight warmth. Before either one of them understood what was happening, she was in his arms, crying. He looked down at her, surprised and worried, and placed his hand on her back.

"Shh. It's alright, now," he cooed. "Take a few breaths, Leese."

She did as she was told and then backed away from him, acting as if she hadn't been vulnerable in his presence.

"I need to leave you to finish packing my things. Think you can do the same?"

She nodded and immediately headed for where her suitcase was. He watched her for a moment, telling himself that she would be just fine for a few moments without him, and then he left. Rader was already dragging the man in the hallway out into the living room, a trail of blood following them.

"You have a twenty minute head start. Max."

He picked up the man's feet and helped her carry him to the living room where they laid him on top of the man near the bookshelf. Someone, Jackson assumed Rader, had already tied up the still unconscious third assassin. He was sitting limply on the couch, his head oozing blood down his temple.

"Where to?"

"You'll be staying at Jasmine's."

Jackson froze and then laughed.

"No way."

"Jackson…"

"No, Rader. The last time I saw her, we didn't exactly part on amiable terms."

"She's the only person in the area who will take _you_ in. She's trustworthy and won't kill you two."

Jackson groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine. I'll go to Jasmine's."

"Good. Now you have fifteen minutes. Move."

He weaved around the living room and back into his neighboring bedroom. He threw his knives and such into his duffel bag with the rest of his clothes and then wandered to Lisa's room. He knocked softly so as to not startle her.

"Ready?"

She was sitting silently on the bed with her suitcase on her lap. She nodded and stood. He held out his hand and as she approached, he placed it around her shoulder.

"Where are we going?" she asked in a meager voice.

"Somewhere safe."

Lisa stopped walking.

"What? Come on. We have to leave."

"That's what you said about here and then look what happened."

"Trust me. Nobody in their right mind would mess with who we're going to be staying with. Besides that, she runs the security and weapons section of the east coast. She's got enough people armed around her for a small army."

"What's her name?"

Jackson smirked.

"Jasmine."

Lisa nodded and let him continue walking her to the door. Onnie and Rader both gave Lisa and Jackson hugs before they wandered out into the garage.

"Won't they be able to spot your BMW?"

"We'll make a stop and pick up another car at Onnie's personal stash."

"Onnie has a stash of cars…?"

"Yeah. That's why he has such a small house. He blows all of his money on cars."

Lisa smiled.

"Oh look. She smiles," Jackson said with a smirk as he pulled out of the garage.

She turned to him and opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off.

"No. Don't say thank you."

"But I-"

"It's fine. I'm doing my job, Leese."

They were now up on the highway when she smirked and turned back to him.

"Fine. I won't say _thank you_. But… you're thanked."

He scowled over at her, but he couldn't stay angry. Maybe Lisa wasn't as bad as he had painted her out to be. Maybe, once he started being nice to her, she would be nice to him in return. He hated it when Rader was so right. Maybe his male-driven fact-based logic simply wasn't good enough. Maybe he really did need a woman's touch to equal him out.


	10. With a Little Help from His Friends

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Shout out to two of my best buds, Cheyenne and Kelsey. They helped a bit with this chapter.

**SURPRIZE BEAR ATTACK! 3**

To Eva: I know! It was weird, I apologize… but! I promise you, he's not all sunshine and rainbows. He's just "trying"… :P

**Chapter Ten**

_With a Little Help from His Friends_

"So where's Jasmine's?"

Jackson opened the door to the modest red Toyota Camry he was taking from Onnie's stash of cars.

"Why are we taking a Camry? I would've figured you'd pick one of these more powerful cars," Lisa continued as she gestured to the garage full of sports cars.

"Why do you ask me another question before I can even answer the first one?"

Lisa pursed her lips and climbed into the car with him. They drove a few minutes in silence until they made it to the highway and began speeding towards DC.

"She's just outside of DC. And I took the Camry because it blends well. We won't stick out like a sore thumb if someone sees us. Common sense."

Lisa eyed him suspiciously.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were bipolar."

"You don't know better. Maybe I am."

Lisa laughed.

"I think you put on these weird masks. You've got one from the Tex Mex, one from the plane, one with your friends… but you're none of them. Not completely."

"I think that you think too much for your own good."

"I think that deep down you're just like the rest of us. You hide it, though, so that you can be whatever the job needs you to be. Tough, sweet, lonely, anything."

"Are you going to psychoanalyze me the entire drive to Jasmine's?"

"Sure."

He growled at her.

"You read too much into those fake self-help books. That's _your_ problem. You think that they hold the key to returning you back to how you were before-"

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare say it, _Jack_. I will never forgive you if you do."

"Maybe I don't want your forgiveness, princess."

"Then say it."

He could see how her body was coiled. She was ready to physically attack him if he mentioned the rape once again. Little did she know that he wasn't and had never intended on doing so. That was a one-time thing he did out of spite and cruelty. He immediately regretted it.

"Before your dad died."

Her body relaxed and she seemed highly confused.

"Wait… what?"

"See? You don't know everything about me. Don't pretend that you do. Now sit back in your seat correctly before I brake-check you again."

"Bi-polar," she muttered quietly as she adjusted herself into the seat.

Not only did she not want her head slammed forward once again, but she was confused. She was sure that he was going to bring up the rape. She was ready for it. Mentally and physically.

Lisa had thought of the rape as the only turning point in her life, but now that she considered it, she did suppose that after the Red Eye she was different too. She was back to fighting because she realized she could defeat someone as skilled as Jackson. Then her dad died and Lisa reverted her back to her old, disappointed, self. Being around Jackson reminded her of the fight.

"When we get to Jasmine's, I'm going to ask her if she will teach you some basic defense skills."

"Oh, my pen trick wasn't good enough?"

She saw him clench his jaw and then take a deep breath through his nose.

"The pen trick was good once. If you had tried that on the guy this morning, you would be dead."

"But I'm not killing anyone, you are."

"I might not always be there, Leese. I know I'm perfect and all, but there's always someone better. Stop trying to find a way out and deal with it. You can't stab this situation in the neck and have daddy shoot it."

Lisa rolled her eyes, but she knew he was right. The situation could very well turn out like her dream and she would have to take action and possibly kill someone herself.

"Was it hard?"

Jackson sighed.

"Was what hard, Leese?"

"Killing him… the guy from the parking lot."

Jackson glanced over at her and she was genuinely curious.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I just do. I think I deserve to know."

"No. It wasn't hard."

"Why?

"Why? Because he was sick and twisted. He deserved what he had coming and I was just the man to give it to him."

"Why?

"Lisa. If you're going to act like a five year-old-"

"No, really. Why you? Why not anybody else or my father personally?"

Jackson paused. He had always considered it a favor to Joe. The subject made his skin crawl and his blood boil. The man was pure dirt and now his victim was questioning him. It was all wrong.

"Because I saw the pain he caused you and thus caused your father. He needed to pay."

"But that doesn't answer my question."

"I don't know, Leese! Because! Because the thought of him putting his hands on you like that made the rage build up inside of me. It's the lowest level a man can stoop to and I know how badly it tore up your father. That man, if he can even be called one, took away your fight, Leese. I just couldn't let him get away with it."

"Sure you could have. You didn't know me. My dad never ordered you to do it."

Jackson gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles began to turn white.

"I knew enough about you to know this man needed to die."

"You were watching me then, too. Weren't you?"

"No." He was telling the truth. "I only watched you for the Keefe job. Your father would never let me get close, but he told me stories."

Lisa cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What kind of stories…?"

"Like…" he smirked as he thought back to some of them. Then he remembered Lisa was waiting and suddenly he didn't want to share. "I don't know Lisa! Just random stories!"

"You're _such_ a terrible liar, _Jack_."

The car swerved and pulled off onto the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Lisa questioned, gripping the door handle tightly.

"He told me _everything_," Jackson said as he turned in his seat to face her. "He was _so_ proud of his baby girl he couldn't stand not sharing the latest news on your field hockey games or the guys that dropped you off after school. Can I help it if I got a little caught up?"

"Did you really kill your family?"

"Jesus, Lisa! No! That was a joke! Stop trying to get in my head!"

"I just want to understand!"

The small car was barely containing their shouts and Lisa could feel their voices bouncing off of the interior.

"You can't! You lived a perfect little life, pampered by mommy and daddy, loved by the kids at school, adored by your neighbors…"

"Jackson…"

He was staring off into the distance now and Lisa was backed up against the window. She had boxed him in and pushed him to the edge and now she wasn't quite sure how he would react. She didn't know him and pretending that she did was a deadly game.

"My point is that your dad made me feel like I belonged. Okay? Simple as that. Now you know."

He turned back to face her, finally seeing her for the first time in minutes. She was trembling and huddled against the door, ready to flee should he snap.

"See what happens when you ask too many questions? You discover that I really _am_ all of those masks you claim I hide behind. I'm a regular nut-case."

Lisa eased away from the door, edging towards him.

"You're not a nut-case…" He looked at her expectantly. "Okay… you're not a nut-case most of the time. You can be nice when you try."

"If I try harder will you stop acting like a shrink?"

"Sure."

He eyed her for a moment longer before he fixed his seatbelt and started the car once more.

"Just don't try too hard. Your head might explode."

When he turned back to her, fully prepared for her to be serious and him to lash out at her, he saw her grinning as she, too, buckled her seatbelt.

"How do you keep doing that?" he asked as he merged back into the traffic.

"Doing what?"

"Surprising me."

"The same way you do, I guess. I don't have all the answers."

"No, you just have all the questions."

"And look what good they've done me so far," she remarked, still smiling.

Jackson shook his head and sighed. He did not understand this woman. He could run hot and cold on her and yet she just fed it back to him. He wondered what would happen once everybody stopped chasing them. Would she leave as if nothing happened? Would he? He turned his focus to the road and Lisa was content with the silence.

* * *

Jackson had made a stop at a few gas stations to fill up and Lisa had hesitated leaving his side to use the restroom and get a snack. The closer they got to DC, the more on edge Lisa was.

"Calm down. Jasmine can smell fear a mile away," Jackson joked.

Getting along with her had gotten remarkably easier and they had even shared a few stories and a few jokes. But, now as Jackson joked, Lisa simply looked at him.

"Seriously, Leese. It'll be fine. I already told you."

"I know. I just… I have this gut-feeling that something's not going to go right."

"Nothing ever goes according to plan. You drove that lesson home. You just have to have a backup plan."

"Do we have a backup plan?"

"Yes."

"Well? What is it?"

"We won't need it, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Jackson…"

"Lisa…"

He heard her sigh and look out her window.

"Honestly. You won't need to worry about it. I'll tell you if it comes to that point."

"But you said it won't," she murmured.

"That's right. It won't. So I'll tell you afterward. Deal?"

"Fine."

"Cheer up, Leese. We're here. Hot showers and girl talk, abound."

Lisa picked up her head, scanning the twilight-colored surroundings. He stopped the car next to a small house and climbed out. He waved Lisa to come on, so she unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her suitcase, and cautiously followed.

"A whole small army is housed in there?" she asked in disbelief.

"No. _Under_ there."

Lisa held her breath as she followed him inside. Everything was pitch-black and she was anticipating anything from ninja assassins to aliens to begin lunging for them from the dark corners of the house. Still, Jackson proceeded as if he had been here many times and they finally made it to a small elevator.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she asked before entering the dimly lit box.

"Positive. Come on, Leese. Live a little."

She groaned as she stepped in next to him, merely an inch separating her arm and his. It was strangely comfortable and a shiver crept down Lisa's spine as she considered it. Just a day ago or even last night Lisa would be fighting him tooth and nail and revolted by his close proximity. Now she needed it, in a way. He made her feel safe and she didn't understand it.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open lazily. The Beatles were playing loudly from some unseen overhead speakers. "Octopus' Garden" was blaring and Lisa couldn't help but smile. She'd like it here already. Jackson, on the other hand, looked disoriented. He motioned to a small, very aged, man sitting behind a counter. The man's head weaved back and forth to the tune.

"Oh! Oh!" he shouted as he cranked a dial behind the desk.

The music was still loud, but they would be able to hear each other now.

"Pop, is Jasmine in?"

The old man bopped his head in response and disappeared surprisingly quickly for someone his age.

"Is he your…"

"No. Everybody calls him pop. He's ancient, but deadly."

Lisa smiled. He reminded her of her grandfather before he passed.

"He sure does love the Beatles, huh?"

"Oh, no. That'd be Jasmine."

Lisa cocked her head and then Pop reappeared and a slightly older, long-legged, beauty appeared from around a corner. By now the song had changed to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Lisa felt dazed as the woman sauntered toward them. She was tan-skinned with gorgeous honey-colored eyes and thick black curls that bounded down to the middle of her back, even in a ponytail. She reminded Lisa of some kind of exotic model, especially when she finally stopped in front of them and smiled.

"Was my music bothering you, Jacky?"

Her voice was smooth and laced with a British accent.

"Not at all, Jazz," he mocked.

"I'm surprised you showed your face. Last time I saw you, you were leaving me to clean up that mess you made up in Canada."

"I'm surprised you offered to let me stay here."

"Oh. That. Well, I can't turn the other cheek on _family_."

"Family?" Lisa quipped.

Finally Jasmine's honey eyes settled on the smaller form of Lisa. She grinned and opened her arms for a hug.

"You must be the charming Ms. Lisa Reisert that I keep hearing about."

Lisa allowed herself to be hugged and played with the name in her mind. Somehow it sounded more official and more upper-class to have it said in a smooth British accent.

"I am. And you must be Jasmine."

"Jasmine Rippner."

Lisa held her mouth shut as it willed itself to gape open. Jackson was married? She found it hard to believe that he could snag someone this gorgeous.

"She's not my wife, Leese," he said as he rolled his eyes. Jasmine grinned wildly as she watched Jackson squirm. "She's my brother's wife."

"Oh Jacky. You haven't told the poor girl a thing, have you?"

She made a tsking noise in his direction and folded her hands across her lower stomach.

"I tell her what she needs to know."

"That hurts. Wait until I tell Cole how his baby brother has been treating me."

Jackson rolled his eyes.

"Look. We're grateful, Jazz. I'm sorry about Canada."

"Not a problem."

"You certainly act like it was."

"It was. Isn't anymore. So. Do I need to introduce this lovely woman to the guns, or are you going to do that?"

"You know I'm a terrible shot."

Jasmine snaked her long arm around Lisa's shoulder and pulled her close. Lisa swore she saw Jasmine wink as she began to lead her down the hallway.

"Of course I know. You should learn to detect sarcasm, Jacky."

Lisa glanced back and he was already gone. Pop was turning the Beatles music back up with "Nowhere Man" blaring near the end of the song. When Lisa turned back to Jasmine, her eyes were closed and she was humming furiously, still leading Lisa around with frightening precision. Lisa again felt strangely at ease among these people. It made her feel strange to feel at home among these killers, but then again, she had gone her whole life not knowing her father's own involvement. They couldn't all be terrible, could they?

**A/N****: In case you didn't understand it, Jackson kind of developed feelings for Lisa even before he started watching her. More on his comments regarding that whole situation later…**

**Thanks for reading along this far! I hope you guys have been enjoying it! If so.... I'd appreciate you letting me know and giving me a wee bit of feedback! :D**


	11. Make You Feel My Love

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

_Make You Feel My Love_

"I'll let Jacky give you some knife training, though I'm sure you're ready to pull your hair out after being in a car with him for hours on end."

Lisa considered it. It actually hadn't been so bad being with him after their little breakthrough. Then again, the way Jackson fled the scene might mean otherwise for him. She shrugged.

"It's not so bad. I can handle him."

Jasmine laughed and patted Lisa gently on the back as she opened a small black door. Aside from the Beatles music, everything was silent. Lisa wondered where that "army" was hiding.

"So I heard. I'm sure this'll be quick. Then I'll have pop show you to your room and you can have a shower before dinner."

Jasmine flicked a switch on the side of the wall to reveal a large shooting range.

"Where is everybody?"

Jasmine cocked her head as she ushered Lisa over to a stall.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, realization dawning on her features, "You mean the other operatives." She waved her hand about as if she were dismissing the subject, but continued. "They're all around here somewhere. I told them to steer clear of the range because I was going to show you a few tricks."

"How come you're so nice to me? And Jackson? Aren't you guys supposed to be after us?"

Jasmine shrugged.

"I have a feeling that things aren't as they seem. You, for example. Jackson as another. You _and_ Jackson for a third."

Lisa felt a blush beginning to find her cheeks.

"There is no-"

"Shh. It's fine. I'm just speaking. There's no need to justify yourself to me, Lisa. Cole would beat me to death if I killed his little brother, anyway," she said with a laugh as if it was a joke. "But enough about all that. Let's get this shooting done so you can go relax."

Relaxing would be great. A shower would be exquisite. Sleep without worrying would be perfection. Lisa was so busy imagining her moments of peace that she hadn't even realized that Jasmine had placed a gun in her hands. She looked down at it, momentarily lost. Jasmine smirked down at her.

"Girl you've got it bad. Focus."

Jasmine told Lisa how to hold the gun, how to grip it, and how to breathe. In the end, Lisa wasn't such a bad shot. It's not like Lisa ever practiced, but once she was calm, she could shoot decently. She could shoot well enough that Jasmine believed her to be able to defend herself if something went wrong.

"Now. You can shoot while calm, but think you can keep that skill while you're all scatterbrained?"

Jasmine flung her hands wildly in the air and Lisa repressed the urge to laugh.

"I think so. Besides, I won't need it, right?"

Jasmine shrugged and began packing up the gun.

"You never know, sweetie. Just remember to breathe and take it slow. Don't let them intimidate you. Those guys working for Keefe, and Keefe himself, are all pansies. And Keefe has gotten so used to his little guards prancing around for him that he probably wouldn't know what to do if he actually had to do the dirty work for himself."

She clicked a case shut and then was beside Lisa in an instant. She was scanning Lisa for any misunderstanding and then she grinned. With women like her in the world, Lisa was surprised that there were any men left for people like her.

Jasmine walked Lisa over to the desk where Pop still sat, the clicking of her heals muted by the still deafening music. Pop's head bobbed up and down lightly to the beat. Jasmine leaned casually over the front of the desk, waiting for the man to notice her. Eventually he did and turned the music down low. Jasmine smiled sweetly and the gestured over to Lisa.

"Could you do me a favor, Pop, and show Ms. Reisert to the room she'll be staying in tonight? I've got some things to discuss with Jacky."

The man nodded and rose, heading off down another hallway. Lisa hesitated until Jasmine waved her off and then she had to jog to catch up to the man.

"I'll come get you for dinner in an hour, alright?" Jasmine called.

Lisa simply waved as she tried to keep up with Pop. It was amazing. She wondered if he could speak because he hadn't said a single word. He turned through one last hallway off to the left and there were several pale blue doors. Her door was in the middle. Number 10a. When Pop produced a key and opened the door for her, it reminded Lisa of a luxury hotel room, not unlike the ones she worked with back at the Lux.

"Thank you, Pop…" she said as she turned back around.

He bowed quickly and scurried off. Lisa poked her head out into the hallway and watched him leave. Amazing, she thought. She ducked back into her room and shut the door behind her. The privacy and silence consumed her. Everything was so quiet.

The room itself was beach-themed. Shades of blue, white, and sandy brown were scattered about the room, as were seashell decorations. Across the large bed was a bag and a note card was attached to it. Elegant handwriting in deep purple ink filled the bottom half of the small card.

_Ms. Reisert,_

_I thought that you would enjoy this lovely party dress. If you don't want to wear it to dinner tonight, that's perfectly acceptable. More options are in the closet to your right. But, as today is Friday, note that we usually have a semi-formal banquet with the other operatives. The dress would be perfect for the occasion. I've also taken the liberty of placing a few cosmetics on the counter in the bathroom… makeup, etc. Even a little something for those bruises, should you wish to cover them up._

_See you at dinner, sweetie,_

_Jasmine Rippner_

Lisa let her fingers wander up to her face where, sure enough, bruises were still tender. She hadn't even considered them as she hadn't even looked in a mirror in a long while. She wondered what the people at the gas stations had thought. Lisa laid the card down next to the garment bag and slowly unzipped it, unfolding the sides to reveal the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen.

She left the dress lying on the bed and took a long shower. Jasmine had placed everything that she would ever need, and some she never would, in the bathroom. As Lisa stood in her towel putting the cover up over her bruises, her eyes wandered down to that fateful scar. She leaned back and inspected herself. She had always felt the extreme _need_ to cover it up. Covering it up somehow hid her shame and hid the past. If no one saw it, no one would ask about it. She weighed her options. Put some of the makeup on her scar, still hiding herself as she had been these past few years, or wear the dress and not care. Maybe her scar wasn't as big of a deal as she made it out to be.

Lisa did her hair, keeping her eyes above the collar bone. If she could just ignore the scar until she left, she'd have no choice but to leave it out in the open. Finally she wandered back into the bedroom and pulled on the dress. It was gorgeous. She eyed herself in the mirror and never even noticed her scar. The dress was strapless and a deep navy shade. It had slight ruffles at the top of the bust and black lace overlay with small jewels encrusted in it. She was amazed at how Jasmine knew her taste perfectly. She even found a matching pair of blue stilettos near the door in a box.

Lisa was just finishing putting on a faint layer of navy eye shadow when there was a knock on the door. She put down the makeup, checked herself once more, before grinning and making her way to the door. She swung it open and she nearly gasped at the beautiful woman before her.

Jasmine had her long curls free from the ponytail and they flowed freely down her back. She was in a longer black dress with spaghetti straps and golden jewels making a flower design on her side. She looked sophisticated and deadly at the same time.

"Well look who took the advice and wore the dress," she mused, her thin eyebrows rising to inspect her handy work.

"It's gorgeous, Jasmine. Thank you."

"No problem. I couldn't have you showing up to dinner looking like Jacky half beat you to death, now could I?"

Lisa blushed slightly.

"Thank you for the makeup, too."

Jasmine nodded with a gorgeous smile and Lisa shut the door behind her. Jasmine never once looked at or mentioned the scar at peeked out slightly over the top of Lisa's dress during their entire walk to the elevator. It turned out that it was so quiet because there were many floors for everyone to spread out on.

Butterflies filled Lisa's stomach as the elevator sunk deeper into the ground. The doors dinged and when they opened, soft Jazz filled her ears. Jasmine smirked as she steered Lisa from the elevator.

"What? You're surprised it's not the Beatles?"

"Actually, yes."

Jasmine laughed and was about to speak when an older man in a gray suit approached. He was holding a small glass filled with amber liquid and smiling comfortably.

"New recruit, Jazz?"

"No, Barry. This is Lisa."

His eyes grew wide as he took in the lovely woman before him.

"It is certainly a pleasure, Miss Lisa. And might I add how beautiful you're looking tonight," he said, holding his hand out.

Lisa placed hers in his and he kissed it gently. Jasmine rolled her eyes and then shooed him away.

"You're too old for her, Barry. Leave the spring chickens for the spring chickens."

He laughed and shrugged it off before he turned and wandered back to his table.

"Dinner should be served any minute now. Until then, we mingle."

"You mingle. I'll just stay here, thanks."

Jasmine looked sorry for Lisa.

"You can always come with me or sit at the table."

She pointed over to a smaller four-seating table near the back of the room, closest to the stage.

"May I have a drink?"

"My dear, you can have whatever you'd like. The bar's that way."

Jasmine nodded and then patted Lisa on the back with a kind smile. Lisa inched her way towards the bar. People were eyeing her carefully. They could sense that she didn't belong or maybe that she did, but that she was new. Maybe they all knew who she was and what she had done. Maybe they knew her father.

"Miss? What can I get you?"

Lisa didn't realize she had been standing at the bar already, her hands gripping the deep glazed oak.

"I'm sorry… a seabreeze, please?"

The man smirked and quickly fixed her the seabreeze.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

Maybe now she could relax. For someone who worked in the hospitality industry, she didn't really enjoy parties like this. She'd get eaten alive.

"I'll have a Jack and Coke," a raspy voice said.

Lisa turned, still sucking on her seabreeze. Jackson hadn't noticed her, or if he had, he hid it well. The bartender handed him the drink and as Jackson picked it up, he turned in Lisa's direction. He froze. Jackson looked like a deer in the headlights for about two seconds and then he regained his cool composure. Lisa nearly spit out her drink when she took in his outfit. He, too, was wearing navy blue. It fit perfectly against his eyes.

"How'd the shooting go?"

"Fine," Lisa squeaked.

She cleared her throat and swallowed more of her seabreeze. He was deadly handsome. She turned back towards the bartender, eyeing the different bottles behind the counter. Jackson sipped casually on his Jack and Coke and eyed Lisa. She was beautiful. The dress suited her personality, even. Her dress made her seem elegant and made her legs seem-

"Jacky," Jasmine interrupted.

"Hm?"

He turned lazily to face her, taking another sip of his drink. She always knew the precise moment to cut in, didn't she?

"Ogling a young woman is not the way to get her to like you."

"But I-"

"Oh shush, Jacky. I've just been told they're serving dinner after this next song. Why don't you ask Lisa to dance? You do still know how to dance, don't you?"

Lisa wanted to hide. "Make You Feel My Love" covered by Adele began playing. She heard him clear his throat and set his drink down on the counter. Jasmine's heels clicked away towards where she had come from.

"We don't have to dance if you don't want to," Jackson stated flatly.

"Well, we don't have to if you don't want to."

"I don't care either way."

"Same here."

"Well then… Jasmine's watching. Maybe we should."

The two of them turned to where Jasmine stood, talking to three women of various ages. She smiled and nodded once at them, encouraging them to go. A few people were already dancing out on the floor. Jackson put out his hand with a sigh and Lisa took it, rolling her eyes at him.

"It's not _that_ bad. Just don't step on my feet."

"Me? You don't step on _my_ feet."

They made their way to an open spot towards the middle of the dance floor and Jackson pulled Lisa close. His left hand snaked down to the base of her back while his right hand gently held her left one. Her other hand was placed lightly on his upper arm.

"I see your bruises are gone."

"Makeup is a beautiful thing."

"Yes it is."

Lisa's eyebrows bunched at his comment.

"I didn't mean it like that, Leese. Calm down," he said, dipping her and bringing her back up, slightly closer to him. "I mean, it adds to your natural beauty."

"Are you calling me beautiful, Jackson Rippner?"

"Don't let it go to your head," he groaned as he turned away.

Lisa could see him smirking as he did so. And was that… was that blush coloring his high cheekbones? The slightest shade of pink? And then suddenly it was gone and his crystal eyes were gazing at her again.

"You're staring at me," he murmured.

"You're the one staring," she fired back with a smile.

"If I'm staring it's because there's nothing else here worth looking at."

Lisa cocked her head at him. Was it the music? The drinks? Lisa could swear that he had just complimented her… no. Better than complimenting, he had told her she was the most beautiful thing in the room. And now he was inching closer. She was going to panic if he kept on. What was happening? Since when did this heartless man have such a soft side?

He was a mere inch from her face, still staring at her wide, green, eyes when the music came to a soft end and a man's voice came on over the microphone announcing for people to return to their seats. Dinner was being served.

Jackson stepped a large step back and bowed to Lisa. She simply stared after him as he left her there on the dance floor. What had just happened? Would he have kissed her if the song lasted a moment longer? Was he testing her? Was he drunk? Lisa wanted her seabreeze. She wanted to chug it down and blur her mind. The night had only just begun and already the room was spinning. Lisa wished the dizziness was from the alcohol and her heart sunk when she realized it wasn't.

* * *

**A/N: I have some pics for you guys to see and the link to the Adele Song, but it won't let me post them here, so if you want to see what they look like and listen to the song, just send me a message and I'll send them to you. They're gorgeous and the song gets you in the "mood" ;)**

**Also**- A major shout out to my "Momma" Cheyenne. She helped me pick out the dresses :D She's _lovely_.


	12. Safe from Everyone but Me

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

_Safe from Everyone but Me_

Jasmine had already made her way back to the table once she saw Jackson and Lisa finally dancing. She couldn't help her meddling. She had hated Cole Rippner the first time she met him when he was on a mission in London. He was so arrogant and sure of himself. But Jasmine couldn't deny that the chemistry was there. And now she could feel the same vibes emanating from Jackson and Lisa. It was just a small spark that needed to be coaxed into a flame.

Jasmine watched them dancing closer and closer. They were both smiling, whether they knew it or not. Jasmine was taking a sip of her red wine when she paused. Jackson was inches from Lisa's face and they were barely moving.

"Yes, Jacky… go for it…" she murmured into her glass.

Then the song cut off and Jasmine nearly spilled her drink as she set it down roughly on the table. Jackson pulled back immediately, suddenly aware of his closeness to Lisa, and bowed. He lingered a moment longer before making his way towards the table. Poor Lisa stood, dumbfounded, in the middle of the dance floor.

"Dear god, Jacky. The girl's turned to putty. What have you done to her?" she asked with a smirk as Jackson took the seat across from her.

"Nothing. We were dancing."

Jasmine snickered as he glared at her and then waved at Lisa.

"Lisa! Over here sweetie!"

Awareness dawned on Lisa's face and she hurried over to the table. A waiter brought her a fresh seabreeze and she took a quick sip of it.

"What a great song," Jasmine cooed as Pop approached. "Oh! Pop! Over here! Sit with us."

The older man nodded and was seated before Lisa could blink.

"He's fast," Lisa said with a smile.

Pop nodded and unfolded his napkin, laying it across his lap. The waiters were delivering the food to tables. Every few minutes a waiter would stop by and check their progress and then he would bring out the next course.

"You do this every Friday?" Lisa asked Jasmine.

"Oh, yeah. Gives everybody a little time to socialize and end the week. Normally we just have an informal dining hall where everybody comes whenever. This brings everyone together unless they're out on assignment, like Cole."

"Good idea."

"Yes. Some people need coaxing out of the caves," Jasmine said with a grin as she pointed a thin finger to a man eating silently at one of the longer banquet tables. "Pop," she said, turning back to the old man across from Lisa, "Would you like some desert?"

He nodded silently. Jasmine's amber eyes scanned the room once more and then fell to where Jackson was, yet again, eyeing Lisa, though she was turned in her seat, asking for another seabreeze from a waiter. Jasmine kicked Jackson under the table and he growled at her.

"And you Jackson? Would you like some desert?"

"No thank you, Jasmine. I am fine," he stated through gritted teeth.

"Me either, Jasmine. I'm stuffed from dinner," Lisa added with a polite smile.

"That's fine. Jacky, why don't you take Lisa back upstairs and teach her all about knives?"

Jackson took a deep breath before he plastered a smile on his face and stood.

"Sure," he said, looking down at Lisa. "Come on, Leese."

Lisa said goodbye to Jasmine and Pop and began walking back towards the elevator. Jackson hugged Jasmine and held her close.

"I know what you're doing," he said low into her ear.

Jasmine smiled and patted him on the back.

"Why, I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do, Jazz," he said, pulling back from her, still smiling.

She waved her hand, dismissing him.

"You think I have time to fool with your love life when I have this business to run?" She laughed. "She's waiting. Hurry up."

Jackson scowled obviously at her before he turned and strode towards the elevator. Lisa pressed the button as he approached. Thankfully the doors slid open within a few seconds. The doors shut behind them and Jasmine leaned over to whisper to Pop.

"Should I cut the elevator, Pop? The thing's pretty small…"

Pop snorted a short laugh, but then shook his head.

"Right. Too over the top," she said, leaning back in her seat with a smile.

* * *

They got off the elevator on that first floor where Lisa's room was and Lisa began down the hallway. Silence enveloped them. There were no catchy songs from The Beatles blaring overhead, just the sound of Lisa's heels as they clicked against the tiled floor.

"Lisa," Jackson finally called softly.

She stopped abruptly and nearly ran into him. She blushed and apologized as did he. He looked as if he was about to bring up the dance and what almost happened. Half of her wanted him to mention it and see what happened while the other half would have rather acted like nothing had happened at all.

"If anything happens tomorrow, you take this cell phone and call Jasmine. She and Rader and all of them will help you to figure out what comes next," he said softly as he handed her a small black phone.

"But-"

"You'll be fine. Go get changed and meet me back by the desk."

He turned on his heels and strutted down the hallway and disappeared into a room near hers, but not across from it. She slowly made her way down to her room. She opened the phone and inspected it. Only two numbers were in it; Rader's and Jasmine's. She didn't want to have to use it.

* * *

Jackson had been waiting by the desk for two minutes now and he was beginning to fear something had happened. Then he felt angry at himself. Nothing would happen here and nobody was around. He would have heard something. And then he did hear something. Lisa edged around the corner, her new pair of tennis shoes tapping lightly on the tiles. Jackson needed a cold shower. Even as she approached him in baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt with her hair pulled up and her makeup all gone, she looked beautiful.

He cleared his throat once she was at his side.

"Took you long enough," he muttered.

Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. I had to get out of all of that stuff. You can't expect me to show up ten seconds after you left me in the hallway."

"I was kidding."

She nodded, but she had thought he was serious. He seemed serious. What happened to the Jackson from the car? The deadly one who still managed to crack a few jokes and make her smile? Now he was all business. Maybe it was better this way. Neither of them needed to forget how serious the situation was.

"So, are you going to teach me how to use that twelve-inch ka-bar?"

Jackson smirked and pushed off of the desk, heading back toward the room where Jasmine had practiced shooting.

"No. Something smaller and more your type."

He opened a door next to the one Jasmine had brought Lisa into. A man and a woman were throwing knives at targets on the other end of the large room.

"Which would be what? A small pocket knife?"

Jackson laughed.

"Hardly. I peg you for a Kershaw Leek."

"A Kershee Whatee?"

"Kershaw Leek."

Jackson walked over to a large cabinet and opened the doors. A large array of different-sized knives hung on the velvet inside. He scanned those and when he still hadn't found the knife, he opened one of the many lower drawers.

"Ah. Here we go."

He pulled out a small silver knife that was folded closed. He held it up for her to inspect and just as she was about to take it from him, he pulled it back.

"No way. You don't even know how to open it," he said with a chuckle.

"Bet."

She snatched it from him and he watched warily as she inspected it, weighing it in her hand.

"Pretty light."

Jackson nodded, still anxious as she ran her finger over the lever to open the knife. Then she pressed it and the blade swung out. It came to a deadly precision point and Lisa weighed it some more.

"I'm not all defenseless, Jackson," Lisa commented with a smirk.

"Again, you surprise me."

"You're pretty surprising, too," she murmured as she kept her eyes on the knife.

"Do you know how to hold it?" he asked, avoiding her comment.

"Well enough."

"Well why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I'm no expert."

"You could have said, 'Jackson. I know how to use a knife.'"

"Would you have believed me?"

He thought about it. Probably not. In the entire time that he had watched her and had heard stories from her father, not once had he seen or heard of Lisa being able to handle a knife properly. But he also hadn't considered the three years since he had last seen her. She could have easily gone to self-defense class.

"No."

"Well then you can't blame me."

She brought her eyes back up to his, but they fell back down on the fabric that covered where the small scar was hidden. She folded the knife and handed it back to him, gently.

"No, you keep it for tomorrow."

"Did it hurt really badly?"

She bit her lip after she had said it. Just one more question to send him over the edge with anger with her. She hadn't meant to mention it, but now she was curious. The people who had been throwing knives were leaving. Jackson nodded politely to them and then his eyes were on hers.

"I've had worse."

Lisa cringed.

"I'm sorry."

"You did what you had to. Self-defense."

"But I don't see it like that anymore."

He shrugged and opened the door. They began walking back towards their rooms.

"What about the others? Did they hurt a lot?"

Jackson sighed behind her.

"Sure. Getting shot isn't pleasant, Leese. But you get over it in my line of work."

"You've been shot before?"

She looked over her shoulder to see him nodding.

"Twice. Little things."

"Getting shot is hardly 'little', Jackson."

They stopped near her door and Jackson waited for her to enter.

"Are you going to be alright without a babysitter tonight?" he asked with a smirk.

Lisa nodded, glad for once that he was making fun of her.

"You're across the hall. I'll get out of bed and scream outside of your door if I need you."

He rolled his eyes and laughed, waving at her as he wandered a few doors down and opened his door.

"I'll see you in the morning, Leese," he called.

She waved and disappeared in her room. She sighed and leaned against the door, running her hand through her ponytail. She did feel safe here, it was true. At the same time, she realized she could never feel as safe as she did with Jackson nearby, even if he was perplexing or downright rude.

Lisa kept the sweats and t-shirt on to sleep in and lay down in her bed. It was comfortable, but she couldn't sleep. She watched sadly as the clock ticked from 9 to 10 to 11. Finally she sat up in bed and stretched. Then she froze. She heard shouting.

She grabbed her knife from the bedside table and peeked out into the hallway. It was muffled shouting, but extremely loud. Lisa stepped out of her room and shut her door gently. More yelling. It was coming from Jackson's room.

Lisa returned to her room, grabbed the cell phone, and stuffed it into a pocket of her sweatpants. She'd call Jasmine if something was wrong. She'd know what to do, wherever she was in the building.

Lisa didn't even knock when she got to Jackson's room. She braced herself, took a few deep breaths, then swung the door open with her knife opened and ready for action. The room was dark and then Jackson hollered out once more.

"No! You're killing him!" he screamed.

Lisa took in the scene once more and then quickly shut the door behind her.

"Jackson," she called, closing her knife. "Jackson, wake up."

He didn't move. He was laid out on his back, his dark hair wet with sweat. Lisa stepped closer and called for him again.

"You'll die for that," his voice rumbled.

Lisa made her way to the side of the bed and she shook him. His arm shot out in the dark and gripped her around the neck. She clawed at his hand as he rose and lifted her with him. He flicked the light on and his eyes were ablaze with rage. He quickly let go and his angry face turned to one of worry.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Leese!" he said, standing and stepping towards her.

Lisa was stepping back toward the door, just trying to get enough room to breathe. She coughed a few times and Jackson was at her side.

"My," she breathed, "How the tables have turned."

She smirked up at him and he groaned. She stood upright and watched as he flopped back onto his bed.

"I was having a nightmare," he murmured more to himself than to Lisa.

"I'll say."

Then the door swung open and Lisa clicked her knife open once more while Jackson hurriedly sat up on the bed. Jasmine pointed a gun at the both of them as her eyes scanned the room.

"What's going on? I heard screaming?"

Her normally smooth voice was now rough with worry.

"He was having a nightmare," Lisa commented as she rubbed at her neck.

Jasmine groaned and lowered her gun.

"I could hear you screaming from down the hall," she said with a sigh.

Lisa noticed Jasmine was in a semi-long nightgown, her rich hair braided down her back.

"Won't happen again," Jackson muttered.

She nodded and left without another word. Lisa could tell that she had been asleep. She looked over at Jackson once the door clicked shut.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked as he looked down at the carpet.

"Nope. I couldn't sleep."

"Just wasn't the same without me there, was it?" he asked as he smirked down at the carpet.

Lisa laughed.

"You're so arrogant."

He shrugged.

"It's just part of who I am."

"I know."

She folded up her knife, hopefully for the last time that night. It surprised her to be so defensive over Jackson. She had never considered herself to care that much or to hold enough confidence that she could possibly save _him_.

"Want me to return the favor? I mean, keep away the boogeyman for you?"

Jackson laughed and patted the other side of his bed. He wasn't going to tell her no.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay because subconsciously you want someone to cuddle with?"

Lisa's face turned beat red. Somehow she had known that he was going to bring that up. Still, she confused even herself with her actions. Sleeping in his bed? Wanting, no, needing him to be close? That buzzing feeling from earlier?

"I'd better not," she murmured as she pocketed the knife and turned towards the door.

"But you should," he stated as he rose and came to stand next to her by the door.

"Why?"

"Because you want to. Right or wrong, you want to. Do something _you_ want to for once, Leese. Don't hold back."

His eyes were piercing in the amber glow from the small lamp on the bedside table.

"Are you saying that to me or to yourself?" she questioned.

He grinned. It was a sleep, but full, grin that made Jackson look normal. That grin washed his past off of him for the moment and Lisa grinned, too.

"I guess both," he said softly through his grin.

"So what's stopping you?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yeah." He was mere inches from her face and still easing forward, just as he had back on the dance floor at dinner. "It's all up to you. You can meet me halfway, or you can ease back."

Lisa realized she still had space between her and the door. She hadn't budged an inch since he had gotten to close. Under any other circumstance she would have been pressed against that door, clinging to it. Now she stood brave before him. The choice was hers. He watched her intently, waiting or any kind of sign, when she pushed forward and closed the space between them.

He was clearly surprised and maybe a little taken aback with her sudden attack. They kissed, eyes wide open and observing the entire thing. It was like the clashing of the Ocean and the Sea. Two opposites that seemed to mingle perfectly with one another. Then Lisa broke the kiss and resumed her position by the door.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking embarrassedly at her bare feet.

"Don't be," Jackson said with a low chuckle. "Come on, we have a big day tomorrow," he murmured as he placed his hand gently on her arm.

Jackson steered her over to her side of the bed and pulled the covers over her. Then he wandered lazily over to his side and did the same for himself, finally cutting off the light. Lisa lay on her side, but she could tell that Jackson was lying on his back.

"I've failed," he whispered randomly.

"Why have you failed?"

"I've succeeded in saving you from everything but myself."

Lisa rolled over and gazed up at him from her pillow. He peeked over his shoulder at her.

"Maybe I was beyond saving."

He laughed and rolled over to face her, too.

"You mean you weren't able to resist my charm?"

"Don't push it," Lisa laughed.

He smiled and then yawned.

"I think my father would commend you for doing a good job," Lisa said as she carefully watched his eyes sleepily disappear behind his eyelids. "Jackson," she whispered a few moments later.

"Hm?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

"I'll keep the demons away during the night if you keep them away during the day," she said with a joking smirk.

"I'll proteg chu," he slurred through his sleep.

Lisa smiled at him. He seemed so innocent. He was vulnerable right now. It was the first time Lisa had seen him like that since she had met him. She smiled and hugged her pillow as she closed her eyes. Sweet dreams came though both of them knew what awaited them the next day. Neither of them cared at this moment.

* * *

**A/N: **_hahaha- I know some of you are like "FINALLY!" lol. Sorry. I was building up to it… XD Now that they've had their tender moments, it'll soon be back to reality… so hold on. It's gonna be a ride._


	13. The Last Breakfast

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Sorry that it's taken me longer than usual to update :P I've just been a little busy lately, which is why I also usually update late at night XD. Hope y'all don't mind! I'll be definitely churning out Chapter 14 pretty soon.

**Chapter Thirteen**

_The Last Breakfast_

Lisa woke up to the faint sound of Eleanor Rigby playing down the hall. She knew that if the door were opened, she would be able to hear the song clear as day. She opened her eyes to the dimmed room. Light was easing its way in from underneath the door. She looked over at Jackson's sprawled out form. He was still shirtless, though the blankets covered him up to his belly button. His right leg was out from underneath the covers and lying on top of them. His right arm was bent and wrapped around his head. How he woke up without any kind of soreness amazed Lisa.

She stared at him for a while, waiting for him to smile and come out of his pretend sleep. His breaths were long and even with a hint of the rasping that Lisa had caused. He still looked perfectly innocent and handsome. His body was covered in shadows from the dark, but Lisa could still see his scars. The two where she and her father had shot him, the one on his neck, and a few she didn't know about.

She continued to stare at him, never once realizing that he had woken up. He was smiling when her eyes finally made their way back up to his face. She blushed, but the shadowed room allowed her to hide it.

"Was I dreaming again?"

Lisa shook her head. She was now lying on her stomach, her pillow propping her up by her chin.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked, adjusting his position and laying out on his side so he could look at her.

"Well… let's see… I've listened to Eleanor Rigby, Day Tripper, I'm happy Just to Dance with You, Strawberry Fields Forever, and Please, Please Me just ended a second ago."

"So you've been awake for about fifteen minutes. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked peaceful."

He gave her a look as if to say, "That's a lie."

"You were being curious," he said, chuckling lightly.

Lisa shrugged and propped herself up on her elbows.

"What's wrong with being curious?"

"Curiosity killed the cat, Leese."

"But you're not going to kill me," she mused with a smile. "So I figure I'm safe to be curious. Besides," she said with a serious face, "You're not the easiest man to get answers from."

"I was protecting you."

"Well you've done a great job so far," she laughed as she punched him on the arm.

Jackson brought his hands up to cover his face. He groaned as he ran them up further and grabbed fistfuls of his hair.

"Don't remind me," he grumbled.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm a big girl. I'm independent. I make my own choices."

"Unless I threaten you to do otherwise," he said with a smirk.

Lisa sat up in the bed and stretched.

"Well, threaten me to get ready. I have no motivation and we might be here all day if this keeps up."

Jackson smiled at her from the bed.

"We don't leave until dark."

Lisa was just about to comment when there was a knock on the door. Her eyes darted to the darkened wood and then back to where Jackson was slowly rising from the bed and finger-brushing his hair. Even in the dark Lisa could tell that it was slightly longer than it had been the last time she saw him.

"Should I…"

Lisa wasn't even sure how to complete that sentence. Hide? Say hi? Jackson just nudged her gently aside behind where the door would open. He unlocked the door and then edged it open.

"I assume Lisa's in here with you?"

Lisa held her breath at the sound of the smooth British voice. She wasn't sure what Jasmine would think, though she didn't sound angry. She actually sounded… happy?

"What would make you think that, Jazz?"

"Oh not much. Just the fact that I knocked on her door to wake her for breakfast and she never answered. Late night?"

Suddenly the door was pushed further open and Jasmine emerged into the darkness. She flicked the lights on with her long finger and scanned the room until she found a blushing Lisa.

"Ah! I knew it," she remarked with a grin.

Jackson coolly shut the door behind him and wandered over to the closet.

"Going somewhere, Jacky?"

"Yes, actually. I'm going to take a shower. I'll leave you ladies to it. Breakfast in thirty?"

Jasmine clasped her hands in front of her, still grinning, as she told him "that would be lovely." Jackson rolled his eyes and then quickly ducked into the bathroom. Moments later the water was running.

"Sweetie, why are you blushing? There's no need for shame. I'm not here to judge you; aside from saying you have a very refined taste."

Lisa's cheeks turned hot. Jasmine reached out her hand and placed it gently on Lisa's shoulder.

"Oh come on, honey. It's just a joke. Now, go get ready so we can eat. I don't know about you two, but I'm starving and Pop's not going to wait forever for his bacon."

Lisa nodded, still silent from embarrassment. Jasmine ushered her out into the hallway and opened her door for her.

"I'll meet you out in the lobby in thirty minutes," Jasmine chimed.

Suddenly her eyes were closed and she was sashaying down the hallway singing along with "I Saw Her Standing There." Lisa just laughed as she shut her room door behind her.

* * *

Thirty minutes and a cold shower later, Jackson was feeling much more back to his old self. Whatever that "old self" may have been, he thought. He checked his watch and then turned his attention back to Pop, where he sat browsing through the most recent issue of TIME magazine.

"Anything good in there?" Jackson questioned.

Pop raised his white eyebrows and then shook his head sadly. He sighed and placed the magazine up on the top of the desk for Jackson to take, but Jackson gently pushed it back. He, like Pop, just wanted his breakfast.

"Sorry it took me so long," Lisa said as she sped up to the counter to join the two men.

Jackson was about to comment about her time, when he noticed that she had re-covered her bruises, including the new ones that had no-doubt formed from his death-grip on her neck last night.

"No problem," he made himself say out of sheer kindness. "We're still waiting for Jazz."

"No you're not," Jasmine stated with a smile.

She was emerging from a room, holstering a gun beneath the maroon blazer that she was wearing. Lisa wondered if they all carried weapons at all times. Even Pop…? He was already over by the elevator by the time Lisa turned to look at him. He was silent as well as fast. Lisa wondered if her father would have been like that when he was older, or if Jackson would be.

"Leese, you coming? I'm starving," Jackson called from where he stood in the path of the elevator doors.

"Oh! Yeah!"

She hustled over to the elevator and squeezed in. With Jackson they could stand side-by-side with a mere inch between them. Now with two other people everybody was touching. Lisa held her breath. She didn't like being in situation where she had such limited options. Jackson smirked down at her, sensing her anxiety.

"They have the best scrambled eggs," he stated as he looked back up at the doors.

He was doing it again. He was deflecting her anxiety by occupying her mind. He also knew she hadn't had eggs in a while, given their situation, and that would probably be all that she ate to make up for it. He chuckled.

"Yes, and Tammy, one of our cooks, will put just about anything you want in them, so feel free to ask."

Jackson glanced back down at Lisa. She didn't seem so stressed now. Instead, she seemed overridden with hunger and anticipation for these scrambled eggs. He laughed again, his body shaking against hers. She looked up at him, clearly confused, and then the doors opened and she stepped out.

"In a hurry?"

"Hey. You were the one who kept claiming you were starving, Jacky," Jasmine said from behind him.

Lisa was already on her way up to the buffet tables they had set up towards the back of the room. Jackson just shook his head and headed towards the fruit.

* * *

Jasmine couldn't resist barging in on Jackson and Lisa. She hadn't really knocked on Lisa's door, but she could tell by looking into Jackson's eyes that he was happy. Why else would he be happy on one of the most important days of their lives unless he had a beautiful woman in his room with him.

"Should I trap them in the elevator later, Pop?" Jasmine asked as she watched them getting their separate plates of food.

Pop looked up at Jasmine and sighed.

"What?"

He shook his head and Jasmine laughed.

"Alright, alright. Still too soon. Maybe when they come back… What do you think?"

Pop just smiled up at her as if he was a small child and then looked back towards Lisa and Jackson.

"Your silence says it all," she mocked as she patted him on the back.

Pop glared at her for just a moment before he left her side and dug into the bacon.

* * *

"I don't mean to pry, Pop, but… do you speak?"

Lisa was sitting alone at the table with Pop while Jackson and Jasmine got their second plates. Pop bit a large bite off of a slice of bacon and then smiled so wide that his eyes were nearly shut and lines crinkled out from them. Lisa laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He nodded and then continued to eat his food, still silent, of course.

"You're saving your words for something meaningful, or are you shy? Or do you just really have nothing to say?"

Pop looked up at her with surprisingly youthful looking green eyes and smiled once more. Lisa smiled back and took a bite of her eggs. He reminded her of her grandfather. He was simply pleasant, even if he wasn't exactly the best person to hold a conversation with. Jasmine placed her plate down next to Lisa's and sat down with a sigh.

"Something wrong?" Lisa asked, pushing her eggs back and forth.

"Oh. Nothing. I'm just going to be sad to see you kids go."

Lisa laughed. Jasmine seemed barely older than she and Jackson.

"You'll have to come back and visit. Stay a little longer next time."

"I thought this was just a special circumstance kind of thing."

Jasmine laughed and picked p a piece of bacon.

"No way, honey. I like you. You're welcome to come back whenever you'd like and stay for as long as you'd like. Right, Pop?"

The old man nodded and smiled his wrinkly smile once more.

"See? Even Pop likes you. Here," she said, pulling a business card out of a pocket in her blazer. "You give me a call whenever and I'll have someone pick you up or fly you up, alright? We'll go tour DC or something… something average people do," she chuckled.

"I already have your number. Jackson gave me a phone with your number and Rader's number."

Jasmine looked surprised and her honey-colored skin lost a touch of its exoticness when she paled slightly.

"Oh. Well! See," she tried to cover it, "Then that's all the better! Just call me up whenever."

She was suddenly very interested in her food as Jackson approached with a plateful of eggs that were tinted red.

"What did you do to them?" Lisa asked, a hint of disgust playing on her voice.

Jackson smirked.

"Hot sauce. Live a little, Leese. Try a bite."

"No, thank you."

He shrugged.

"Want to try some, Jazz?"

"No thanks, Jackson."

"Is something wrong?" he asked, looking around the faces at the table.

He could only see that Jasmine was distraught. Pop was too involved in his orange juice at the moment to care and Lisa seemed no more bothered than usual.

"Oh. Nothing, really. Lisa was just telling me about the lovely cell phone you gave her with my number and Rader's number in it."

Lisa looked between the two of them and gently placed down her fork.

"I didn't think it'd be a problem that he gave me your number," Lisa murmured meekly.

"Oh it isn't. His logic behind it is the problem."

"Jasmine. Some other time, huh?" Jackson said with a deadly edge.

"No. Now's perfect. Why are you thinking like that?"

"I want her to be prepared."

"For what?" Jasmine asked, pushing her food away from her.

"For _anything_."

Lisa cleared her throat and Jackson and Jasmine both turned to face her.

"Look. I _am_ prepared, thanks to the both of you. Let's not argue about it. I won't need the phone. We'll be fine." She turned to Jasmine directly. "He'll be fine."

"Your brother will kill me, Jacky. Literally. You know that."

Jackson took Jasmine's hand and held it in his own.

"He won't get the chance to. I'll be back before you know it, Jazz. So… just calm down."

"Yeah," Lisa said, chuckling, "You need to listen to his 'male-driven fact-based logic.' It might help you overcome this 'female-driven emotion-based dilemma you're dealing with'."

Jackson scowled as he released Jasmine's hand and returned to his food. Jasmine and Pop, on the other hand, found it funny and laughed. Jasmine even reached over and hugged Lisa.

"You call me when everything's over with, alright? Pop and I will come pick you guys up and we'll have a late dinner, alright?"

Jackson forked a large bite of eggs into his mouth as Lisa nodded. She hoped that's how things would go. She needed them to go alright. She needed to end all of this so that she could call people and spin some story about where she'd been this entire time. She needed it all to end well so that she wouldn't have to go to two funerals and look into the angry, teary, eyes of those who loved them.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I do believe you just did," Jasmine stated with a smile.

"You seem pretty in love with the Beatles. Have you ever met any of them?"

Jasmine laughed and she laughed hard. Even Jackson chuckled and Pop just grinned as he got up to refill his orange juice.

"Honey, all but two are dead."

"I know. Have you ever met them?"

"Ringo, yes. Paul, no."

"Was he nice?"

"Very laid back. My father did security detail for them at a gig back in the sixties. He was so proud of himself. He loved them, too. Said they were all very nice, especially John Lennon. So, he bought all of their music and that's how I came to love them, too."

Lisa let her plate be taken away by a waiter. Her father hadn't done security detail for the Beach Boys, but he had treated them in a similar fashion and thus, Lisa came to love them as much as he did. She smiled to herself as Jasmine rose.

"Well, come on, kiddos. Let's practice some more shooting before dusk."

Lisa nodded and they all made their way to the elevator and piled in. She hoped that by the end of the night the elevator would be just as crowded as it was right now. As her arm brushed closely against Jackson's, she suddenly wished he wouldn't leave. She knew he had promised to protect _her_, but she would protect him. At all costs. He deserved to live as much as anybody else. The skin of his hand came in contact with hers and butterflies swarmed inside of her stomach. It was like she was a teenager again. The only difference was that she was now an assertive, grown, woman.

Lisa brushed her hand past his once more and then laced her fingers in between his. He looked down at her, startled, and then his blue eyes relaxed. He wasn't angry, but he wasn't exactly happy, either. Lisa gave his fingers a little squeeze.

"We'll be fine," she whispered, though she knew Pop and Jasmine could hear.

He squeezed her hand back in response, but he never let go. Lisa felt somewhat accomplished for conquering him in the littlest ways. She wondered how much of a heartbreak it would be for her to lose him; to come back here and explain to Jasmine what happened; to possibly face his brother; to be able to say, "He succeeded, dad." It would be a pretty big one. She didn't want Jackson to succeed if he wouldn't be returning to gloat about it to her and Jasmine. She'd miss his arrogance and the rush she got when she called him out on it.


	14. The Call

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Sorry this one, again, took me longer than usual to post up. lol.

**Chapter Fourteen**

_The Call_

Lisa hadn't realized how much time had passed until Jackson was knocking on the door to her room. Lisa took a deep breath and opened it. He looked as cold and calculating as he had once they had successfully taken off from Texas.

"You almost ready to go?"

She sighed. She was as ready as anyone could ever be. She nodded silently as she showed him her knife and then put it back into the pocket of her jeans.

"Come on then."

"Are you alright?" Lisa asked over her shoulder as she turned off the lights in the room and then shut the door.

"Peachy."

"Liar."

His nostrils flared and then he stretched. Along with the kinks, some of his anger and stress left him.

"I'm in the zone, Leese. I'm ready to be done with this."

"Me, too."

She didn't know what life would be like for her after she and Jackson made it out alive. She didn't want to think about what it would be like if he didn't return with her. Either way, her life was so radically different now. _She_ was radically different.

Pop and Jasmine were waiting in the lobby, both leaning lazily against the desk. The Beatles music was turned down so low that it seemed to be a whisper in the background. Jasmine didn't look as cool and collected as she had last night or even this morning. She looked obviously worried, with good justification.

"Best of luck to you both," she murmured as she hugged Jackson and Lisa tightly. "I know you'll be just fine and I'll be waiting up for that phone call telling me to come pick you up."

Jackson nodded. He hated goodbyes. Over the years, Jasmine had become sort of an older sister in the absence of his brother. They had their disputes, but deep down they were family. He didn't want to imagine never seeing her again. He knew he could tolerate her the moment they first met and she called him "Jacky" and he didn't snap her neck. He'd miss her and he'd miss Lisa, as much as it bothered him to believe so. He knew that once this whole obstacle was taken care of, it'd be up to her to pursue him. He wouldn't pressure her into anything. There was just too much history for her to have to deal with and he wouldn't blame her if she wanted to just cut him from her life.

The elevator ride and eventual walk through the silent house was tense. Neither Jackson nor Lisa spoke. The sun was setting and in the half-hour it would take to reach Washington, DC, the darkness would be surrounding them. It didn't help that the weatherman was calling for a downpour. As Lisa and Jackson climbed into the red Camry once more, Jackson could see the deep purple-black clouds approaching from the West. They were ominous and he wished they would have had better timing. Rain could make things sloppy, especially when those things were not very well-thought.

"Now, when we get there, I want you just to stand back. Cover your eyes. Whatever. Just let me do my job and I'll call the organization to let them know how it all went."

Lisa glanced over at Jackson and then turned back towards the window. It was worse than her fighting him. She was distancing herself. Sure, it was painful, but it was better this way, right?

"Peachy," he heard her mutter.

They drove the rest of the way in painful silence. Jackson even refused to turn on the radio. He wanted his mind focused on the task at hand, not on some sappy lyrics to a love ballad written when he was a child.

"Are you awake?" he asked as he pulled the car to a stop in a parking garage.

"Yeah. Don't tell me Keefe's hiding out in a parking garage…"

"No. We're hoofing it a few blocks."

Lisa nodded and stepped out of the car. Jackson leaned against the car, watching her over the roof.

"No questions?"

"It's pretty straightforward. Give me a little credit."

They were both on edge and let the comments they dished out go in one ear and out of the other. They didn't need to fight with each other. They needed to be allies. And they were. So, they hiked three blocks, weaving their way down sidewalks and cross-streets before Jackson stopped them in front of a large brick house.

"Here?"

"No," he said, pointing down the street to a larger pale house, "There."

"Are his wife and kids home?"

"Lisa…" Jackson said with a sigh.

"I could distract them," she offered with a smirk.

Jackson couldn't believe her. If he didn't need to keep his head straight and carry out the task immediately, he would've taken her in his arms and kissed her until she begged for air. For now he simply blinked at her and then turned back to the house, observing it.

"I'll take out the patrol man."

Then he was off like lightening. Lisa jogged after him, keeping her head down, and then stopped by the bushes near the front door. She barely heard a struggle and then Jackson returned. Lisa didn't want to know what he had done to the man. She found herself not really caring what happened to these people anymore.

"It looks like Keefe's up in his office," Jackson said, leaning back to eye the top window. "We'll play it up like I'm attacking you. I'll hold you and the wife and kids hostage… you'll seem innocent to the public so when you return home, nobody will know the difference except for the company. Alright?"

Lisa nodded solemnly. She couldn't believe her thoughts, but she would have rather stayed with Jasmine or Jackson than return to her mundane life. There was much to be learned here and much more to be accomplished if Lisa could stomach it all.

"Go. Scream."

Lisa screeched and ran to the door, pounding on it. It swung open a second later to reveal Mrs. Keefe, her brown eyes wide with confusion.

"You've _got_ to help me! He's going to kill me!"

The woman edged around Lisa as she prepared to ask, "Who?" when she saw Jackson barreling towards them, gun drawn and pointed towards them. Mrs. Keefe nearly threw Lisa inside the house and Jackson slammed into the door as Mrs. Keefe tried, in vain, to slam it shut.

Jackson shoved his way in and pressed the gun to the trembling woman's head.

"You and Lisa go and sit in the living room with your kids, Mrs. Keefe, and nobody will get hurt."

His voice was so cold that it sent chills down Lisa's spine. She wondered briefly if he was truly acting. Mrs. Keefe immediately stumbled backwards into the living room where her kids were huddled in a corner, confused by the gunman. He pointed the gun at Lisa and yelled at her to move before he shot her. She, too, stumbled backward in fear. He was being too real. Too involved.

"Call your husband down, Mrs. Keefe."

Lisa stiffened. Time seemed to slow. She heard the upper step creak and jumped up, shoving Jackson out of the small entryway to the living room and onto the floor. Shots rang out and Lisa and Jackson scrambled down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"How the hell…?" Jackson asked through hurried breaths.

"I… I was listening."

He smirked and then placed his ear to the door.

"I know he's waiting for me," Jackson whispered.

He cocked his gun and cracked his jaw as he readied to push back through the door.

"You might _die_ out there!" Lisa spat.

"I know," he stated flatly.

"Then… be careful," she murmured, pulling out her knife and flipping it open.

"Always. Stay here."

He barged through the door and more shots were fired. Lisa pulled the cell phone from a pocket in her jeans and readied it to call Jasmine. Tears were in her eyes when the door fell open once more and Jackson stumbled inside. Keefe followed behind him.

Lisa swung the knife towards Keefe, but the large man caught her wrist and wrenched it to the side. She released her weapon and he shoved her backward so that Lisa had to catch herself on the sink. Jackson was huffing and clutching his stomach. Blood dribbled from between his fingers and Lisa felt sick. This was all wrong. Everything was wrong.

"You're a coward," Lisa spat.

Keefe simply grinned and pointed the gun at her.

"Me? I'm the coward? You're the one who gave in to a creep like this. You're the one who came here and thought you could use my family against me."

"You're the coward who hires others to do his dirty work and you're the coward who killed my father."

Keefe snickered and then shrugged.

"True. I didn't hire anyone for that one. That was personal. This is personal."

Suddenly the gun was pointed back at Jackson, where he was nearly doubled over across from Lisa.

"No! Don't!" she shouted, pushing off from the sink to intercept the bullet.

She was a second too late in her reaction. Jackson grunted out as the bullet connected with his flesh and he fell back. Lisa eyed his sprawled form with horror. It was just as it had been back at her house. Nobody, and she meant _nobody_, could hurt Jackson. Only _she_ had the right to send him over the edge and push his limits.

Lisa turned and the fury was burning white-hot in her eyes. Keefe was still smiling like he had been in her dream. He raised the gun.

"Run," she barely heard Jackson cough out.

"I'm done running."

"You going to be a hero and kill the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security?"

"No. I'm going to kill a man with no honor left."

She dove for the knife that Keefe had left lying on the floor to his left. He shot out and Lisa screamed in pain as a bullet grazed her leg. Police sirens were heard outside and Keefe smiled.

"Self-defense. These attackers came into my home, threatened my wife and children. They left me no choice, your honor…"

While he was distracted in his falsified glory, Lisa had lifted herself up just enough to see Keefe's throat. She flicked the knife with surprising accuracy and it lodged itself into the side of his neck. He glared down at Lisa, startled, before he slumped to the ground, clutching his wound with both hands.

He feebly attempted to aim the gun at Lisa, but his hand was shaking. Lisa snatched it from him and rose until she was standing over him. He sputtered and choked on his blood.

"We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up!"

Lisa smiled.

"Do I have your attention?"

Keefe's eyes were beginning to roll back into his head. Lisa reached over and pulled the knife from his neck, sending Keefe toppling over onto the kitchen floor. Blood was everywhere and Lisa began to feel the weight of everything. Most of all, she began to feel the loneliness.

She flipped open the cell phone and dialed Jasmine's number as she plopped down at Jackson's side. His stomach was covered in warm blood and another hole in his chest oozed blood slowly. Lisa stripped off her shirt and pressed it hard onto his chest wound. She nearly fell backwards when Jackson hollered out in pain. He wasn't conscious, it was just a reflex.

"Lisa! How did it go?"

"Badly. Keefe is dead, Jackson is dying, and cops are swarming the place."

Lisa noticed that she was sobbing, but she wasn't sure when she had started.

"It's taken care of," Jasmine spoke evenly.

"Do what?"

"I'm the closest headquarters. They'll bring you here for questioning. Behave, Lisa."

"What about Jackson?"

Jasmine paused and then her voice caught as she continued.

"You did good, sweetie."

Then the line went dead. Lisa threw the phone at the wall and screeched. Her hands were bloodied now, but she didn't care. She smoothed back Jackson's deep brown hair and stared at his eerily-relaxed pale face. She couldn't let him die.

"You live, damn it. I'm not going back to Jasmine's without you. I know you can hear me you stubborn asshole."

She pressed down harder on the wound causing him to moan in protest.

"You can't escape me that easily, _Jack_. Stop being dramatic," she sobbed.

She wanted his blue eyes to flash open and choke her for the pain she was causing him. She wanted him to fight. She wanted to piss him off so that any wound he had wouldn't matter. She had shot him and her father had shot him. He survived that. He could survive this. He _better_ survive this, Lisa thought.

She wasn't sure how long she kneeled there, muttering to Jackson as she pressed on his chest. Suddenly her hold on Jackson was compromised as arms wrapped carefully around her and hauled her to her unsteady feet.

"No! I can't leave him!" she hollered.

She felt an alliance to him. He had given his life for her. She wouldn't let him die alone. She owed him for more than anybody would know.

"He's going to die!"

"Then let us help him."

The voice was too calm for the situation. The arms holding Lisa away from Jackson's limp body as a medical team placed him onto a gurney turned her to face the direction of the voice. She barely took in any other features on the man aside from his pitch-black eyes. He was an aged, but obviously deadly, professional.

"You must be Lisa Reisert."

It came off as more of a statement. She didn't seem welcomed. The man calmly watched as the team placed Jackson on a stretcher and strapped him down. Lisa struggled against the strong hands holding her.

"You have to let me go with him," she whined.

"I don't have to do anything I don't want to, Ms. Reisert."

The man nodded towards Lisa and suddenly the arms holding her were gone. The man stepped back a large space and then stood with his chin high, waiting for a command.

"Lucky for you, I want you to cooperate. Would watching him die make you cooperate?"

Lisa lunged for the man, but he caught her wrists calmly.

"You can't let him die!"

"Again. I don't have to do anything I don't want to. If I let you go with him, regardless of the eventual outcome, will you answer my questions when the time comes?"

Lisa eyed the team as they began hauling Jackson down the hallway.

"Yes!" she shouted as she squirmed to free her wrists.

"Good. I'll be in contact."

"And you are?"

The man released her wrists and adjusted his beige suit.

"I'm Frank Cardin and you're going to miss your ride unless you go now."

Lisa nodded and flew down the hallway, waving madly at the ambulance.

"Miss, we hardly have enough-"

"Mr. Cardin said I could come. Whether you want me to or not, I'm coming. Scoot over," she commanded as she climbed into the back.

They slammed the doors behind her and sped off to a nearby hospital. Lisa was strapped into the side seats in the ambulance and watched as the team pumped fluids into Jackson and even attached a packet of blood to his arm. She prayed nobody would have to tell her that he died for the second time. The first time was a relief. This time would be the end-all.

Then she was shocked back to reality as the monitors attached to Jackson began to wail.

"He's crashing!" a woman shouted.

Jackson was swarmed and Lisa craned her neck to see. The beeping continued but there was a clear, continuing, drawn-out, beep in the background.

"He's flat lined!" a male voice called.

He was dead.

"Get the epinephrine!"

His heart was no longer beating.

"Starting chest compressions now!"

Lisa closed her eyes. She would miss him. She would grieve. And then who would challenge her? Who would annoy her to no end? And who would she bother with her incessant questioning?

Beep.

Lisa looked up.

Beep.

"I've got a heartbeat!"

Lisa's own heart seemed to start beating again.

"He's alive?"

"For now, miss," the woman stated flatly.

_That's good enough_, Lisa thought. _He's strong. Keep him alive for now and he'll stay alive. He'll beat this__. __He needs to stay alive long enough for me to kill him for scaring everybody like this._


	15. Face It

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

To make up for the previous delay… here's another chapter! Woo!

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Face It_

Lisa was curled up in a chair in a corner of the little waiting room. She had a headache from the stress and not eating, but she wasn't leaving. It'd be her luck that the second she left the doctor would come out to tell her Jackson's condition, if there was one. Her eyes watched the other people as they were told the worst news or the best. Lisa wondered if she would fall to her knees as she'd just seen a woman do ten minutes ago, or if she would simply turn and leave.

"Lisa."

Lisa turned to smile at Jasmine, but her lips would not cooperate. Instead, she simply stared at the woman as she approached.

"Hey, sweetie. What's the down-low?"

Lisa sighed and adjusted herself in her seat.

"He's been in surgery for what seems like forever. Just a few hours I suppose. They're trying to get the bullets out without killing him. Keefe shot him pretty close to the heart and once in the stomach."

Jasmine smiled sadly and rubbed Lisa's arm.

"He'll be fine, darling."

"He died once on the way here," Lisa said, her breath catching on the word "Died."

"Oh. Well then he'll be fine. Jackson has a flare for drama but he won't push it," Jasmine commented with a wink.

Lisa could tell that through the smiles and kind words, Jasmine was just as worried as she was. Jasmine could simply hide her emotions a little better than Lisa could.

"Where's Pop?"

"Oh, he hung back on this one."

"Is he alright?"

"Oh, yeah," she commented with a sigh. "He's just lost a lot of people and didn't want to watch, you know?"

_Absolutely_, Lisa thought to herself. She didn't _want_ to watch, but she needed to. She felt obligated to. Maybe it was something wrong in her mind, but if Jackson was dying, she wanted to be there. She wanted he doctor to come out and tell her to her face that he hadn't made it through the surgery, not Jasmine over the phone.

"Ms. Reisert?"

"Yes sir?"

Lisa rose quickly, as did Jasmine, at the approach of the doctor. He looked saddened and Lisa felt her heart snap. He was gone. It felt too surreal and she just wasn't ready to face it. She fell backward into the chair, unconscious.

"Lisa!" the doctor and Jasmine shouted.

* * *

Lisa wished it had been a heart-attack and not a fainting spell that would have taken her. She couldn't take it. She… she _loved_ Jackson. And now he was gone. What now? She opened her eyes slowly and inspected the pale room around her. Jasmine was standing by the window.

"Jasmine," she whined, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Tell me he's not dead."

"Shh, sweetie. He's not. He made it through."

Lisa sat up quickly and then held her head as the room spun around her.

"But the doctor!"

"He was coming to tell us that he made it through, just barely, and that he really didn't advise us moving him…"

"We're moving him?"

"Oh yeah. He's already back at my facility."

Lisa was suddenly standing, rubbing at her eyes, and heading for the door.

"You need to calm down before you pass out again! I'll get you some food when we get back, okay? Just slow down. He's _alive_."

Jasmine approached Lisa with a grin and Lisa could see the tears in Jasmine's eyes. They hugged and then Jasmine ushered Lisa slowly out to her car. When they pulled up to the house and Jasmine cut off the car, she turned to Lisa before she could leave.

"Cardin's in there."

"He can wait."

"No. He won't. But I know he gave you the 'bully' impression. He's the highest you can go, so don't make him _too_ angry, alright?" Lisa nodded. "Good. Besides, I think he kind of likes you."

Lisa snorted as she climbed out of the car.

"Likes me? The man threatened me."

"He does that to everyone. He's the boss."

"He does what he wants," Lisa mocked.

Jasmine giggled and the two women squeezed into the small elevator. When the doors opened, Lisa looked around. The floor was painted in warm browns and soft lighting occupied it. There were several doors made of glass lining the hall. People were inside them doing various things in their offices.

"I want to go see Jackson," Lisa commented.

"You have to go see Cardin first. Jackson's not going to be awake for a long while. You'll be no use if you make Cardin want to kill you again."

Lisa groaned and Jasmine hugged her quickly.

"Last door on the right. Come on down to the dining hall and have some dinner when you're done."

The hall was silent though Lisa could see one woman yelling into the telephone. She wondered if the offices were bullet-proof as well as sound proof. When she arrived at the final door on the right, Cardin was facing a bookshelf, slightly crouched over. Lisa knocked lightly and he turned easily, not even flinching. He motioned for her to come in.

"Have a seat, Ms. Reisert," he said as he turned back to the bookshelf.

Lisa sat down in one of the deep brown chairs in front of his large desk.

"I'll be with you in just a moment. I'm attempting to find my… ahh. Here it is."

He swung around, smiling. Lisa thought him to be handsome, given his age. He probably would have been slightly younger than her father. She sighed. Cordin set down a medium-sized leather-bound book on his desk.

"I apologize for our meeting earlier. You must understand that this has all been quite an unusual situation for our company."

Lisa nodded.

"So I'm off the hook, right? We're off the hook?"

"Oh in a way, yes. I'm no longer out to kill you and Rippner. By no means. The Keefe job was a catastrophe, but you've assisted in righting the situation. As for Rippner, he's probably more useful to us alive. Everyone makes mistakes I suppose. As my team made a mistake in assuming Rippner killed your father and kidnapped you."

"I went willingly."

Cordin laughed and his black eyes didn't seem as frightening to Lisa as they had before.

"I can see that now. Your dedication to the man who nearly killed you amazes me. It's the history, isn't it? The fact that you two are connected by the loss of your father?"

Lisa gripped the armrests of the chair tightly.

"Now now," Cordin said with a sigh. "I mean no insult with that, my dear. None at all. Your father was one of the best. He worked under my father before he passed and I took control of the company. It was a simple question."

"Why am I here?"

"Ah! I was hoping you'd ask me that. Here," he said, handing the book to her. "Take a look at it."

Lisa hesitantly pulled the book from the desk and opened it to the first page. Simple scribbles occupied it.

"Joseph Anthony Reisert."

"What is this?" Lisa asked.

Her hands had begun to shake, so she set the book down in her lap, the name still staring up at her.

"It's a journal your father kept regarding missions. Facts, things learned, new skills, everything."

"Why-?"

"Because. I would like you to work for us, Ms. Reisert. You've displayed exceptional skill with little to no training what-so-ever. I believe you have your father's skill hidden somewhere deep inside. Once Rippner's all healed up I could have him train you. You seem to have bonded with him," Cordin said with a wink.

Lisa simply gaped down at the book and turned to the first page. It was dated April 22nd, 1953. He wasn't even married to Lisa's mother yet.

_I know this is far from protocol, keeping obvious records like this, but Richard Cordin has approved it. If you're reading this, it means I'm probably dead and not here to give you the guidance in person. Still, I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor. It's a hard job, but it's worth it._

"I… I can't. You know?"

"No. I don't know. I see you as a strong person. Rippner has already testified to your strength and ability after the red eye incident. Your father, rest his soul, told us all of stories regarding your perseverance and level-head. There are plenty of examples involving you in that book, Lisa."

She couldn't breathe. It was all too real. Knowing that her father worked for these people was one thing, but to have his history in her hands? Stories of her? Stories he probably told Jackson? This book contained everything. It most likely contained plenty of things she never wanted to know about him and his life. She flipped to the last page and it was dated right after Lisa moved away.

_You could see the spark ignited in her. She fought him, tooth and nail, and damn near killed him. I've never been more proud of my baby girl. The fight was back. But, now she's moved to some town in North Carolina and she's hiding. She's surrounded and secluded by the mountains. I thought that Jackson would be able to bring the fighter back, but he hasn't. They're not compatible and yet that's precisely why he works with her. If only things had gone differently that day._

Lisa watched as a tear dripped down onto the page, blurring the word "works". If only her father could see her now. He would see how much of a fighter she was. At the same time, was she really fighting? She could run and hide from her father's past or she could confront it head-on. She'd go out fighting.

"I'll do it," she murmured, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks.

"Would you like some time to think about my offer?"

"No. I'll do it. I'm tired of running from all of this."

Cordin smiled and nodded.

"You're every bit of what I expected, Ms. Reisert. It's going to be a pleasure working with you."

Cordin extended his hand across the desk and Lisa shook it with pride.

"Welcome to the company, Lisa."

"Thank you. Can I go now?"

Cordin laughed and gestured to the door.

"By all means. I'll draw up the paperwork and we'll get everything settled, alright?"

Lisa nodded and left the office. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. What had she done? Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she had first assumed. She'd have Jackson to train her, her father's words to guide her, and a few friends already backing her up. Her father had written, "It's a hard job, but it's worth it." She sure hoped so.

* * *

Lisa ate with Jasmine. She had no other choice. Though she wanted to go visit Jackson, Jasmine would not let her.

"We don't need you passing out again. That's one more person to take care of around here."

So, Lisa sat down with Jasmine and ate a quiet dinner. She nibbled slowly on her food and Jasmine eyed the brown book sitting beside her on the table.

"What's that?"

"My father's long-lost journal."

Jasmine gasped quietly.

"Cardin gave that to you?"

Lisa nodded.

"I'm… I'm following in my father's footsteps."

Now Jasmine grinned. She nearly tackled Lisa as she leapt across the table and swept her into a tight hug.

"I knew it! I knew it! I _told_ Pop that he was going to offer you a spot! I can't believe you took it! Why'd you say yes?"

"I'm done running from all of this. I'm done being scared. The only thing that scares me is losing you guys."

Jasmine grinned and smoothed down Lisa's hair.

"You're such a sweetie," she murmured as she eased back down into her seat.

"Apparently my dad thought you were, too."

"What?"

"On the way down here, I was skimming through some of his entries and there's a lovely one in here about you."

"Oh, Lisa! Can you read it to me?"

Lisa nodded. It was good to share it with someone. The weight wasn't as heavy as it was when she was alone. Others loved her father, too. It was good for Lisa to see someone smile when they heard Joe talking about them from beyond the grave. Jasmine, for example, was literally on the edge of her seat. Her lips were pressed firmly together in anticipation, and her honey-colored eyes were glued to Lisa's face. She was concentrating. She was imagining overhearing Joe saying these words to someone else.

_The oldest Rippner boy is finally settling down. The British girl, Jasmine Moore, is his intended wife. I had dinner with them last night and she is stunning. It is more than beauty. The woman has strength and she seems to cool Cole's fire. She's powerful and independent; no wonder Cole adores her as he does. The boy came back from a mission in Britain and said he simply had to have her. Of course I told him he was insane… Jasmine hated him. But, having the Rippner stubborn-streak, he didn't listen to a word I said. Still, Jasmine didn't give in… not completely. She has spirit and doesn't let Cole run over her. It's hilarious. She's hilarious. And respectful, too. Plus, I can't deny that she has great taste in music._

"And that's where it ends," Lisa said.

She looked up and Jasmine was crying. She was still smiling, but there were a few tears easing their way down her cheeks. She sat back in her seat and feverishly wiped her face.

"I'm sorry, Lisa. I don't mean to be bawling like a big baby here."

"No, it's fine, Jasmine. I'm willing to bet he has more in here about you, too. I'll let you read them sometime, if you'd like."

"I'd actually love that. But no rush, sweetie. It's your book now."

Lisa nodded. A wrinkly hand appeared on her shoulder and Lisa turned to see a smiling Pop.

"Hey, Pop," she laughed.

She had gotten used to the old man and his silence. Then he threw her for a loop.

"Welcome aboard," he said as he patted her on the back gently.

"My, word travels fast around here!" Jasmine giggled.

Lisa simply stared at Pop. He patted her back once more and then left.

"He… He spoke!"

"Yeah. He does that sometimes," Jasmine said with a shrug that made Lisa laugh uncontrollably. "Oh! Good news!" Jasmine cried as she flipped her cell phone closed and stood up from her seat. "Jacky's awake!"

The two women flew to the elevator.

"That was fast," Lisa breathed as the doors shut them inside the box.

"Oh yeah. I told the doctors to text me if anything changed."

When the doors opened, Jasmine strode quickly down the hallway and past the desk where a small woman nodded to her. She burst through the door to the room and Lisa could hear her squeal with excitement.

"Jacky! I was so worried! If you _ever_ do that to me again I'll kill you."

She laughed and Lisa peeked around the corner. He looked terrible. He was sickly pale and his blue eyes were glossy and tired. He barely smiled as Jasmine stroked his hair back. Lisa was glad the blood was gone.

"Look who I've brought!" Jasmine shouted, slinging Lisa into the room.

"Hey," his gravelly voice produced.

"Hey."

"She's been dying to get up here and see you," Jasmine said softly. "I'll be back later, alright? Make sure he behaves, Lisa," she said with a wink.

Then she was gone. Lisa had butterflies. She willed them to leave and they did. She pulled a chair over to his bedside, trying to put the machines surrounding them out of her mind.

"They said you applied pressure and it saved my life."

Even his voice was weak and Lisa had to hold back a frown.

"Oh?" she said, feigning ignorance.

He smiled sleepily.

"I thought I was supposed to save you, not the other way around."

"Well, if I remember correctly, I told you I'd keep the demons away at night. It was night which means it was my turn."

If he could've laughed, she imagined he would have. Instead he nodded weakly.

"You can't escape me that easily," she said, finally smiling.

"You mean I'm stuck with you?"

"Whether you like it or not."

He nodded once more and Lisa eyed his thin frame.

"You look like hell."

"I feel worse," he muttered.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Leese. You don't have to stay."

"Well you certainly can't make me leave, so you'll just have to deal with it."

He sighed but held out his hand feebly from the edge of the bed. It was covered in chords and tubes, but Lisa took it in hers regardless.

"We'll talk when you're not as weak."

He glared at her through the drooping eyelids.

"Easy tiger. I'm kidding. Don't strain yourself."

He rolled his eyes and then he was gone. They definitely would talk. She had a lot to tell him, including the thing that had been nagging her since the night they danced. Whether he liked it or not, whether he needed her or not, and whether he felt the same way or not didn't matter. Lisa had to tell him that she loved him. Even her father had seen the possibilities that would stem from her and Jackson coming together and uniting. Still holding his hand, she popped open the old journal and began reading.

**A/N**: pfft. There's no way I was gonna kill Jackson! I'd miss him too much :P Hope you guys have been enjoying this! It's nearly over... though there may be a sequel in the works... but shh! That's on the down low... :P


	16. Doomed in the Best Possible Way

**Author's Note: **Of course I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye or the characters… This is all just for funsies :P

Alright, y'all. It's winding down... I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter for this story. I'm sorry it's short, too, but it's just winding down, you know? It's been a great ride, I'm not going to lie. I hope you guys have enjoyed it as much as I have!

Keep your eyes peeled for the sequel... ***GASP*** Did she say _sequel_? Yes I did. :P Hopefully I'll be starting to work on that later tonight or tomorrow or something... I'm a speedy bunny! :P

Thanks SO MUCH to all of you faithful readers and for everybody else! Thanks for any reviews and just thanks for reading period. I love writing and it means a lot to me to have people reading and reviewing. It shows I'm loved (somewhat...) hahaha.

So, without further ado- I present you with...

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

_Doomed in the Best Possible Way_

Soft hands touched Lisa. Lips trailed down her jaw line and onto her collarbone. She loved it. She knew it was Jackson by how he touched her. Careful and reserved, but strong and sensual. How did this man know precisely how she loved to be handled?

"Leese," he murmured.

"Jackson."

"Lisa," he called again.

He was slightly louder as his lips were close to Lisa's ear and she smiled.

"Jackson," she giggled.

The jiggling was what startled her awake. She sat up quickly, nearly knocking over the tray of food pushed next to her. Jackson still looked pale, but he was more awake than he had been before.

"What's wrong? Do you want me to go get the nurse?"

He chuckled softly and it made Lisa smile. He was feeling better.

"No. As much as I enjoy watching you sleep, you were lying in an awkward position… I didn't want you to get a stiff neck."

Lisa sighed in relief. She had figured something was wrong. He patted the side of his bed and Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"There's hardly enough room for you and you're tiny. Besides, as much as you and I have nightmares, I'd probably hit you in the head and make things worse."

He chuckled again, if only to see Lisa smile when he did so. It hurt him to laugh, but then her face lit up and it made it all worth it. He patted the bedside again, disregarding her concerns. Sighing, Lisa hefted herself out of the chair and helped Jackson to painfully shift over. She climbed in slowly and laid on her side facing him.

"See? Plenty enough room," he murmured.

"Only because you're so stubborn. People give you what you want to keep you from driving them insane," she said with a sleepy smile.

She remembered her father's words. There were several accounts of the Rippner stubborn-streak.

"Ah, but not always."

"What do you mean?"

"You're one to not give in to me," he whispered as he brushed a strand of her hair away from her eyes.

"I stopped resisting you ages ago, Jackson."

"Don't. Fight back. It's what I love about you."

Lisa's heart leapt at the word, but Jackson remained calm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Then he grinned and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't look so lost, Leese." His eyebrows scrunched together as his eyes scanned her face and then he smiled once more. "On second thought… it's kind of becoming on you."

Lisa laughed and buried her face in his pillow. How could this man reduce her to a teenager with just a simple look or statement? He was impossible.

"How do you do this to me?" she asked as she peeked up at him with one eye, the other still buried in the pillow.

"The same way you do it to me, I guess."

"We're doomed, you know."

He cocked his head sideways on the pillow.

"Doomed?"

"Yeah."

"And why is that?"

Lisa reached over and picked up Joe's journal where she had set it on the food tray. She placed it gently on Jackson's lap for him to look at.

"Is that….?"

Lisa nodded.

"He pegged it. Dead on. We're not compatible, but it works. I'm just sad he can't see it."

Jackson kissed her forehead sending shivers down her spine.

"He's watching, Leese. I'm sure he's proud of you."

"He'd be proud of both of you," a foreign voice commented.

"Rader!" Lisa called, sitting up slightly in the bed.

The woman smiled and came over to give each of them a quick hug.

"Damn, Rippner, did you let Lisa get a hold of a gun again?"

She winked at Lisa, who giggled. Jackson rolled his eyes and let his head fall back onto the pillow. He was getting very tired. He'd be glad when he was all healed and back to normal.

"Well, you'd better be careful once you start training her."

"Training her? Why would I train her?"

"Because Cordin hired her."

Lisa felt Jackson tense up and she prayed he wouldn't be mad.

"I was going to tell you…" she murmured.

"Are you sure? I mean, are you sure you're going to be able to handle it?"

"Jackson. Think about who you're talking about, what she's been through, and who's daughter she is," Rader said, a caramel hand on her hip.

"Right. Well…" He paused and seemed as if he was about to deny his involvement. "Let's get me better so we can get started. This girl's going to need some serious work."

Lisa lightly punched him in his good arm with a smile.

"Well, I'm going to go make sure Onnie doesn't arm-wrestle Pop again… you know how those two get when they're in the same room alone for too long."

Jackson laughed and nodded.

"Thank you, Rader."

"No problem, Rippner. Get some sleep. I'll be here for the next day picking up a few things for a new task up in PA."

Jackson nodded sleepily and watched as the door clicked shut behind Rader. Good, she was giving them some much-needed privacy. He turned to face Lisa and she was back on her side, her head in her right hand as it was propped up by her elbow. He adjusted his position to get more comfortable and it brought him slightly closer to her face. God, how he wanted to kiss her. But, as he had stated before, she needed to meet him halfway. Until they established something solid, he wasn't going to pressure her. He wanted her to _want_ it.

And boy did she want it. Lisa could feel his breath on her hair. When she looked up into his steely-blue eyes she couldn't resist. He certainly wasn't going to stop her, either. Unlike the first kiss which had been slightly awkward, yet passionate, this one was gentle and relaxed. His wired hand found its way to her hair and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

One kiss led to two and two led to three until they pulled apart for air. The kissing had brought some much-needed color into Jackson's pale cheeks and Lisa pictured herself being pink in the cheeks as well. He was beautiful. She pecked him on the side of the mouth, just at the edge of his lips.

"There will be plenty of time for that when you're all better."

"You're just making up excuses because you're tired," he said with a smirk.

"And I'm not the only one."

He nodded. He could hardly keep his eyes open. He had only been managing with the make-out session. He'd have to show Lisa his true work once he was coherent and not in pain. Lisa laid her head against his chest and he wrapped his good arm around her shoulder. She would have plenty of time to call her mother and her job tomorrow. Right now, she was being held close by a man she never imagined to see again.

"You know I meant it, right?" he whispered into her hair.

"Meant what?"

"I love you."

Lisa looked up at him and for once he looked unsure. Did he doubt that she felt the same? This was entirely new for Lisa and she smiled. She had made the great Jackson Rippner unsure of himself. The arrogance was gone. She could break his heart or make his day.

"You don't lie. And I meant it when I said you couldn't get rid of me that easily… See, you've made me fall in love with you, too, which means I'm not going to back down. I promise you that I'm going to_ torture_ you. You asked for it when you did this to me, Rippner."

He smirked and then winked at her.

"I'm going to hold you to your word."

"Oh trust me," she said as she nuzzled back against his chest carefully, "It's a promise I intend to keep."

* * *

**A/N**: Again, thanks for reading! If you guys have any suggestions, feedback, or questions, etc. feel free to leave feedback or message me on here. I'm pretty quick to respond :)

P.S.- If you're interested in a sequel... one is in the works. It's called "Lies Told." Check it out. :)


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